Persona 5: Broken
by kuntakintae
Summary: The Phantom Thieves were never formed. The world headed to ruin , and there was no one to counter the incoming disaster. Humanity is left to pick up the shattered pieces in a world where cognition is reality. Can one really restore what was once broken? MakotoxAkira
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I know it's kinda a bit late starting a fanfic on this game, considering the fact that it's already a few months old, but I really love the characters and the idea of this game.**

 **I don't really know whether this story will be wtah you're searching for, but i can at least tell you this story will be more of a character-focused story instead of action and the plot will mostly be centered on Character interactions and relationships more than anything else, so be warned haha**

 **In any case, I hope ypu guys will give this story a chance. Many of the characters will be out of character- though I will try to keep their special eccentrics and unique traits there. Please review and give advice whenever you feel something is wrong, missing or can be done better.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 _Pitter patter pitter patter_

Outside the antique door of the cafe, the rain fell heavily, droplets so large that every single one that hit the ground could be heard from inside.

A lone man stood behind the counter, arms deftly moving as the dark and smooth coffee beans seemed to dance in the air.

Messy black hair, lean and tall frame, plain round glasses and a faint yellow apron over his plain shirt and pants, said man quietly handled the process of making coffee with practiced ease.

"... with the sudden reveal of the cognitive world, along with the secret behind how the now-deposed prime minister- Masayoshi Shido- disposed of all his competitors, scientists and researches are desperately searching for ways to attain the 'power' that Goro Akechi, who had defected from Masayoshi Shido's side, mentioned."

The man seemed to perk up as the newscaster's voice rebounded off the wooden furniture and walls of the small cafe shop.

"Due to the partial merging of the cognitive world with reality, 'shadows'- monsters with power greater than anything we have ever seen- are starting to appear. At the current moment, it is still possible to keep it under control due to the small number, but studies are showing a rapid rise in said number."

"It is fortunate that Yongen-jaya seems to be safe- at least for the current moment. Could it be that this old town is one of those so-called 'safe areas'? "

An old man- a regular for many years- sighed and said in a depressed yet slightly relieved tone.

"Goro Akechi has stated that the monsters appearing now are the weaker ones, and that monsters of greater calibre will appear with higher frequency as time passes, and has emphasized on the importance on everyone succeeding in releasing the 'inner power' in everyone- what he named as a 'persona', which has the same power as said shadows."

A soft snort- one so very soft that even the old man only three meters away from the counter couldn't hear- escaped from the man's mouth.

"Apparently, the 'key' to releasing this power is for the person to 'tear of the mask, the facade they hide under, and face their inner demons and stand above them' - words stated by Goro Akechi himself. We implore that anyone who unlocks this 'persona' to immediately contact the police force. The World is facing a crisis like never before, and we need your power to fight against it. Thank you."

As the transition music started to play from the television, the man poured the last drop of coffee into a pristine-looking porcelain cup before serving it to the old man on a porcelain plate.

"Excelsia, just as you like it," A calm, soothing voice left the young man's mouth as he smiled kindly at the old man.

"Ah, thank you. The stress of all these huge revelations has been taking a toll on my mind. This old and frail body can't handle so much," The old man thanked him, appreciation lacing his voice as he carefully picked up the cup and took a whiff of the pleasant aroma the coffee emitted before taking a small sip.

"Just how I like it. Thank you, Akira," The old man thanked him again. He simply nodded and acknowledged with a small, polite grin.

"Glad you liked it." Silence filled the small cafe once again, safe for the buzzing background noise of the television and the occasional sharp sounds of glass hitting glass as Akira did the dishes.

It was already quite late into the evening, hence the only people left in the cafe were the old man and him.

"Say, how are you holding up with all these new things happening?" The old man's slightly hoarse but curious voice floated through the air.

"I'm fine. Yongen-Jaya is a 'safe house', after all. There isn't much to be worried about."

"These 'safe houses' would eventually disappear as the...distortion increases, if I heard correctly," A slight frown appeared on the Old man's wrinkled forehead. Akira merely shrugged.

"I'll worry about it when the time comes," His voice completely devoid of worry or concern.

"Sometimes, I wonder where your confidence comes from," The old man shook his head.

"You're right though. There is no point worrying now. After all, only by becoming a persona-user can we actually do anything, and everyone knows its not that easy."

The old man sighed and Akira stayed silent. There was nothing to say.

"Oh my, it is late. I better get going. Sorry for making you sit through an old man's rambling," The old man chuckled lightly as he looked at the time shown on an antique wooden clock on one of the shelves that lined the back of the counter.

"Have a safe trip back," Akira bade goodbye. The old man nodded, thanking him for the third time before leaving through the door, the sound of bells clinking together echoing throughout the cafe.

Akira gently picked up the porcelain cup and plate left on the table. He frowned slightly when he realised half a cup of coffee was still there.

"Seems like he was more troubled than he lead on," Akira whispered to himself. A twinge of worry sprung up in his heart, but he quickly quashed it like an ant and shook his head.

It wasn't his problem.

"You know sneaking up on me doesnt work." His voice calm, but the soothing effect it had when he talked to the old man was long gone, replaced by a warmer tone.

"I wasn't sneaking." A childish, boyish voice rebutted from below him. He looked down and stared at the black-furred cat.

"You already know my answer, Morgana." His tone turned colder. The cat stilled, and then hissed, its black fur seemingly spiking up in response to its annoyance.

"...That sounded very much like a cat," A small, teasing grin was directed towards the cat.

"Don't change the subject, Akira." Said man's face darkened considerably, the grin slowly sliding off his face. He turned his head away from the cat, refocusing back to what he was doing without responding.

Uncomfortable silence ensued, with Akira robotoically soaking the porcelain tableware while the cat-Morgana- stared at Akira.

A few more seconds, and a sigh of defeat resounded throughout the place.

"We could really use your help."

No response.

"Please," The cat suddenly begged, desperation obvious in its voice.

No reponse.

"We are barely holding on, and the shadows are growing stronger and more numerable. It's getting harder to keep the people safe."

Akira's shoulders stiffened- so minor was the movement it was almost imperceptible, but Morgana's sharp cat-eyes spotted it.

"It," Akira started to say, his voice emotionless and cold, face as unreadable as a stone. "Is none of my business."

Morgana visibly deflated and shook his head sadly.

"...I'm sorry for asking this much of you. It's hard, Akira. I am your friend, but I also am the embiodment of the hope of mankind. It is my responsibility. Please at least consider it," Morgana implored sadly.

Akira stayed silent for a moment, his hand stilling, before walking to the fridge and taking out bowl of fresh milk and placing it in fromt of Morgana, whom had by this time climbed onto the counter.

"...I understand. I hope you understand too, why I am so adamant about it...I'm sorry," Akira said, his voice noticeably warmer now compared to before. He lightly patted Morgana's head and gave him a genuine smile before entering the kitchen.

Morgana stayed silent, staring at Akira's back as he trudged into the kitchen, and a breath of sympathy escaped him.

"If only..." He muttered under his breath before staring at the bowl of milk, thoughts and regrets racing through his mind like lightning.

Eventually, he sighed again before starting to drink the milk. A small smile formed on his face as he drank. Delicious as always- Akira knew exactly how he liked his milk.

"If you can extend this kindness to me, can't you extend it to mankind as well? After all, I am, in a certain perspective, a representative of mankind..." Morgana whispered wistfully, before shaking his head to clear his wishful thinking.

"How is Futaba? The girl hasn't visited today," Akira's voice suddenly travelled from the kitchen, breaking his train of depressing thoughts.

It was as though their heated conversation merely moments ago didn't happen. Morgana sighed, and reluctantly played along, knowing the day's chance to convince him was over.

Another rejection, but he wouldn't be giving up anytime soon.

"She's doing okay. She just visited yesterday, Akira. Do you miss her rants that much?" Morgana jested, trying and succeeding slightly in putting the conversation behind him. He then smiled when he thought of Futaba and Akira.

Futaba often confided in Akira- he _was_ the one that Sojiro had entrusted her to, and had been the one to nurse her mental health .

They were like siblings, Akira the strong, kind elder brother and Futaba, the insecure, dependent younger sister.

Not to mention that he was the one that had saved her from herself. Of course, she didn't know that particular fact, nor did she need to.

Akira may seem like he no longer cared about mankind, but the fact that he cared for Futaba showed that somewhere, hidden deep within, he still felt _something_.

That alone was enough to convince Morgana to keep on trying. He's have to try at a later time, however. He doubted he would make any progress if he continued.

"She still doesn't know it was you, the Joker, who saved her." Morgana stated with a deadpanned face.

"That's not what I was asking." Akira scowled at him, receiving a teasing smile in return.

"She's eating and drinking fine today. She even managed to make a new friend today. High school is doing some amazing wonders, though I suspect the root cause was you."

"Good." Morgana could 'hear' a smile from Akira's voice, which caused him to have one of his own.

"I'll tell her to visit again soon, once she's free from her computer."

"A new program?"

"You know her."

Akira's soft laugh- which would usually be inaudible- resounded in the air. Morgana's ears perked up at the sound- it was a luxury to hear him laugh, given how little he does so.

"Thanks for taking care of her for me."

"My pleasure."

A moment of silence- one much more comfortable than before- pervaded the cafe.

"I better get going, then." Morgana announced his departure, leaping off from the table and landing gracefully-perks of being a cat.

"Morgana," Akira called, his head sticking out of the kitchen. Morgana tilted his head, a questioning look arising on his face.

Akira's face was still as unreadable as ever, but Morgana was able to tell how he felt- his eyes were the window to his feelings.

Of course, only Morgana would be able to do that, considering that the person who knew Akira the most in the entire world was him.

When his thoughts reached there, sadness crept into his heart. It deepened further when he saw the turmoiling feelings underneath those steel cold brown eyes.

"Stay safe," Akira said, his voice sincere.

"Hmph. Since when have I not been?" Morgana replied cockily, eliciting another rare genuine smile from Akira.

"Don't get me started," Akira rebutted. Morgana snorted and proceeded to head out. Right at the windowsill, he hesitated and looked back, staring at Akira's back.

It looked lonely. It always had.

Guilt crashed into him, and he almost cried out to say he was staying the night, but nothing came out.

He couldn't. His duties didn't allow him to

Even if it meant leaving Akira alone.

Closing his eyes and gritting his cat-teeth, Morgana forced himself to turn and leapt out of the window into the gloomy dark of the night, leaving a lone man in an empty cafe, hidden away from the desperate sights of man and the greedy vision of the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is somewhat a filler, but also to set the basis of the problem that is ailing the world right now. I have to admit I've only played to after shido so far, so I still don't know the full details even with some reaearching, but I hope this helps.**

 **The story should be preogressing very soon. This chapter is just kinda a filler PLUS an explanation to exacrlt ehats happening in the world right now.**

 **Please R &R and give some feedback on what to improve **

**Enjoy-**

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"Welcome back'" A cheeky, slightly mischievious voice reverberated through the room, bouncing off the blue velvety walls.

Akira opened his eyes, arms crossed and a leg over another as he sat on a plush chair opposite the owner of the voice- a silver-haired man with an abnormally pointy nose and incredibly large and round eyes.

"It has been a while, Igor," Akira said in a neutral tone, eyes calm and piercing as he took in the bearings of the man in front of him. "It seems freedom has done you some good. Where is Lavenza?"

Said man looked exactly the same as he had when Akira first met, back when he just started attending Shujin Academy. Yaldaboath had imitated him well, from outer appearances all the way down to even the most miniscule behavioural habits- like how his fingers always tapped the mahogany desk he sat behind. In fact, said man was doing that at that very moment.

Igor merely chuckled deeply at Akira's snark comment, his ever-present grin widening a little as he easily accepted the pressurizing gaze of Akira's that would have caused weaker shadows to cower.

"I do admit I prefer being awake as compared to being trapped in an endless dream," Igor replied. "And Lavenza is currently investigating something. She has been doing well, if you are curious."

Akira stayed silent, but nodded. Lavenza was someone he appreciated, moreso than Igor , who he could never guess what the man was thinking.

"It seems that you have more or less completely controlled the shadows of your heart," Igor stated, his eyes showing a hint of amazement as he took in Akira dressed in his black, two-tailed overcoat, with red gloves wrapped around his hands and a black mask covering the area around his eyes.

"To think you would be able to appear in this form even here. Your willpower truly is strong," Igor's voice remained impassive, though his words were filled with endless praise. Akira's brow twitched.

"What do you want, Igor," Akira sighed. Igor rarely got to the main point- always speaking in riddles and circles before finally giving the answers...eventually.

"Peace, Akira. I did not bring you here to antagonize you," Igor replied calmly, seemingly as unaffected as ever by all worldly matters. Akira sighed again in resignation.

"I have brought you here to warn you about the future," Igor started, clasping his spidery fingers together as he got down to business. "The rate of merging of the cognitive world and reality is increasing. For now, it is still insignificant. But soon, that will change."

"That is none of my bus-"

"Hold, Akira. Let me finish," Igor firmly said. Akira scowled but relented, leaning back onto his chair and shifting to a comfortable position.

"I know the World has let you down in more ways than one, whether directly or indirectly, but I implore you to listen to the end, if not for the sake of the innocent, then for the sake of those that are like you."

Akira stilled at his words, and visibly deflated after a while.

"Go on," His weary voice travelled through the room. He took off his mask and placed it on the table between them- there were no facades capable of tricking Igor.

"With the recent actions of Goro Akechi, Yaldaboath's power has been waning. People are starting to mistrust the bliss of ignorance under authority- largely due to the exposing of Masayoshi Shido. At first glance, this is a wonderful event. We could even beat Yaldaboath without even having to do anything, and the world will be a better place," Igor exclaimed, but his face darkened immediately."

"Except that unfortunately, it is not so optimistic" His considerably darker tone caught Akira's attention.

There were very few things in the world that could cause Igor to be worried. Even Yaldaboath was a mere inconvenience to him.

For soemthing to make him this troubled, Akira had to admit that even he had to pay attention it.

"While Yaldaboath is weakening, the rate of merging is still increasing," Igor stated, his tone as calm as ever, but Akira could sense an underlying tone of worry.

Akira nodded in agreement. He too had felt that Yaldaboath's hold on the world was weakening, but the merging was still happening.

"Also," Igor continued. "As more humans begin to see the shadows, their cognition is changing to 'shadows exists', thus causing more and more shadows to appear in this merged world. I am afraid that the appearances in stronger shadows will come earlier than expected."

Igor looked at Akira, observing whether there was any change in expression or body language.

There was none.

Igor let out a breath of thought, pausing for a short moment, as though he was coming up with a new theory in his head. His eyes then had a faraway look as though he was checking something, before it widened a fraction.

"...It seems I have found the very root of the problem," Igor stated leisurely, his grin widening as though he had solved a huge puzzle.

"I take it you would not be gifting me with the details?" Akira stated sardonically. Igor chuckled.

"I will not tell you now, though I will lead you on the correct path. Defeat Yaldaboath first, and it will be made known to you of what you need to do. While he will eventually fade away, there is no telling whether humanity can survive till then." His ominous words rang painfully true.

Akira's frown deepened the slightest bit, and then he sighed in exasperation.

"You're as irritating as usual," Akira stated with a small, tired smile. Igor's grin widened a fraction.

"I am a puppet. While I do have a consciousness, I do not change personality. At least, as far as I am aware of." His voice reveberating off the walls of the enclosed are, carrying a hint of teasing.

Akira merely shook his head. While he didn't particularly like Igor, he was one of the people who knew his circumstances. The number of people who understood him to that extent could be counted with one hand.

"There is one more issue before we end our meeting," Igor suddenly spoke up. "It is about those close to you."

Suddenly, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Gloominess and danger started to seep into the atmosphere as Akira stiffened, his eyes narrowing into slits. It was as though a calm but dangerous beast had been released.

"...What will happen to them?" Akira asked forcefully. It seemed like the fact that the man in front of him held the power of the entire persona compendium in his hands did not faze him a single bit.

"Nothing bad, per se," Igor assured, not noticing, or not caring about the change. "They will be unlocking their personas soon."

"What?" Akira stood up, so quickly that that the chair he sat on was blasted back to the wall behind with a loud 'bang' before breaking into splinters.

"Stop them," Akira growled. "Imprison their personas, lock them up, do anything you can to prevent them from attaining it!"

His shout exploded, as loud as a shotgun being fired in an enclosed room. His breathing became heavy, and his fists were clenched. A mysterious force seeemed to radiate from him, and a faint image of a being with huge black wings, dark grey armor and a long metal sword appeared behind him, releasing a dark, oppressive aura.

"You know as well as I do that I cannot interfere directly with human affairs," Igor said calmly, unfazed.

"And," He immediately continued, cutting off whatever Akira was about to say. "I do not think that it is a bad idea to let them have personas."

"They will have to fight shadows. They will be placed at the forefront of the battle against shadows. They might get killed," Akira said menacingly.

"But they will have the power to defend themselves. Sooner or later, they will meet a shadow. You can't protect all of them, Akira. They need the power to fight back," Igor reasoned. Akira gritted his teeth, but couldn't refute his reasons.

Still, unwillingness and reluctance clawed at his heart. He knew how dangeous shadows were. He didn't care if Akechi went and got himself killed with others, but if it were his friends, he couldn't stand by and watch.

"...Then I ask this of you," Akira spoke up, catching Igor's attention. "let me 'awaken' my powers to Arsene when I'm with them."

Igor's grin surprisingly widened visibly now-rare moments indeed, as he only did that when he was very pleased. Igor nodded.

"Very well, I can do at least that," He then paused as he heard something in the background. A faint ringing sound resounded through the air.

"It seems our time is up," Igor stated. "I wish you all the best."

The velvet room then disappeared, Igor disappearing along with it. Akira slowly opened his eyes only to see the wooden ceiling of the cafe's attic.

Reaching out to the side, his hand slammed down on the annoying ringing alarm clock before rubbing his face, trying to get the sleep out of him.

His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he had just moments ago, and his face darkened.

"Seems like I'd have to join this fight after all..." He muttered under his breath, and a hint of fear coarsed through his veins. Quickly, he quashed it down, smashing it with a ton of other emotions- worry, panic, anger... anything else.

He stood up to get changed, his calm and smooth demeanour returning at the speed of light.

He closed his eyes, and for a moment, the same image that had appeared behind him when he was talking to Igor appeared again-albeit without the ominous aura.

He then opened his eyes, the image behind him disappearing, lingering for a while before fading away fully. He stood there quietly, a thousand thoughts running through his mind.

He looked left at the neat, wooden bookshelf beside his bed, and stared at a certain object placed carefully at an empty space beside the uniformly stacked books.

A few seconds later, he clenched his fist, and left the attic, once again wearing the mask of an amiable cafe owner, as though the deadly, indifferent man never existed.


	3. Chapter 3

**I admit, it was hard writing this chapter. However, I hope you guys will like this chspter! I'm still inexperienced in writing darker stories. I'll try to improve but guys I need your reviews and advise to improve so please do**

 **Till next time! Please do give constructive criticism HAHA**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Welcome," Akira's usual, polite voice travelled across the cafe as the sound of tinkling bells filled his ears.

"Please take a seat and choose whatever you wa-" His throat suddenly closed as his eyes finally landed on the new customer and his brain registered just _who_ it was. His hands paused from what they were doing, and his body stilled.

It was a good thing the cafe was empty, considering who it was that just entered. It was already near closing hours.

"Hi, Akira. It has been a while," A soft female voice laced with a hint of caution floated through the air, as though the owner herself was unsure of how he would react.

"...Makoto," Akira managed to choke out, his voice full of shock and disbelief.

Makoto Nijima stood at the entrance, dressed in a simple white blouse and black pants- very similar to how she had dressed during the summer seasons of her Shujin Academy days.

"May I come in?" She asked tentatively, her eyes avoiding his as she raised her hand to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear- a habit she hadn't changed for years.

"Please do," Akira replied shortly, still trying to rein in the storm of emotions that hit him the moment he laid his eyes upon her.

It had been a long time since they met. Futaba was the only one he met at a consistent basis. The rest had- due to different walks of life- drifted.

But Makoto had drifted the most.

He observed her closely as she moved towards the seat. At first glance, nothing much had changed about her. She still had a shoulder length bob-haircut, along with bright, red eyes and toned body figure.

However, he could tell that the past few years under Shido's rule had not been easy for her.

Her shoulders were tensed and taut, her breathing slightly labored, her complexion paler than usual, her eyebags dark under her eyes...

The one that hit him the most were her eyes. Her eyes- once so vibrant and filled with life were now dim and held only a spark of life.

His fist clenched as guilt hit him like a ton of bricks. Accusations immediately swirled in his head.

 _'You could have stopped this'_

 _'You could have prevented her suffering.'_

But he hadn't.

No, he couldn't.

A memory flashed in his head. A desperate scream, a girl's voice.

* * *

 _"Sojiro! SOJIRO!"_

* * *

He had made a choice. Till today, he did not regret the choice. It had not made the consequences wrought by his choice any less harmful. Or painful.

"-kira?" His train of thoughts were broken as a hand waved in front of his face, and his eyes refocused back to the present. Makoto's slightly worried face appeared a few centimeters away from him, her eyes finally meeting his.

"...Sorry. Just reminiscing on the old times," The words 'old times' seemed to echo tauntingly in his ears, ringing painfully true, and he realised with dread that he had used the wrong words.

Makoto's whole body stilled at his words, and her eyes went back to staring at the counter.

A tense silence invaded the room, save for the sound of beans being crushed, boiling water and sizzling curry. Makoto sat with her back straightened and hands placed on her lap and eyes staring at the counter while Akira continued quietly making coffee and curry.

"How are you?" Akira asked finally, trying to ease the tension in the atmosphere. It was weird- feeling tense around someone he once was so comfortable with.

An ache could be felt in his heart as he thought to that point.

"...I'm so sorry," A soft whisper seemed to boom loudly across the quiet cafe. Akira's eyes widened a fraction, and he lifted his head to look at her.

He hadn't known what to expect, but an apology was the furthest of thing from what he thought would happen.

Her body was trembling ever so slightly. Her fists were clenched and he could see her eyes shine- filled with tears left unshed as she held it in and bit her lip.

"I was so fixated on my job, on my career. So fixated on going against Shido. I neglected my friendships, my relationships. I neglected Futaba, Ann, Ryuuji, Yusuke...you," Makoto's words- filled with guilt- gushed out like an unstoppable tidal wave.

"Only after Shido gone did I realise that I had no one beside me. Sis and I are on bad terms, my colleagues are mere acquaintances, and those who were once my closest friends...we hardly talk anymore," Makoto sounded like she was on the verge of sobbing.

Akira's heart clenched as he saw Makoto shiver, her body looking so frail and vulnerable, so different from the Makoto he usually saw, the Makoto most people knew.

Despite the gloomy and dark atmoshpere, a small spark of warmth could be felt within him, and it slowly grew into a flame.

She had came back. That was all that mattered. After drifting for years, she came back.

With a newfound determination, and the sudden lighting of hope that he had long since stopped believing existed in his life, he walked around the counter and to Makoto's side. She didn't even realise he had moved, too focused on trying to keep it together, to not _break_ -

The moment Akira gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and brought her into his embrace, she broke. Every piece of self-control left her, and she started to let it go.

No sound escaped her, but he could feel his apron and shirt getting wet as her tears broke free from the dam holding them back. He could feel her body wracking and shaking as she let out years of _stress_ and _strive_ and _loneliness_ and _regret-_

"Thank you for coming back."

His soft whisper seemed to reach every corner of the small cafe. Makoto's hands-balled into fists- clenched his shirt tighter, and her body seemed to shake even more violently than before.

After a few minutes, the trembling slowly ceased. Her shoulders eased up, and her clenched fists loosened.

"You better now?" Akira asked, a teasing smile on his face, though it was apparent he was concerned. Makoto, hearing his question, immediately took a step back, her red eyes staring straight at the ground, a hint of red colouring her cheeks.

"...Sorry for that," Makoto muttered under her breath, and Akira couldn't help but wide his smile.

"Don't be."

"Thank you. Again." Makoto said softly.

"Always here when you need me," Akira replied with a gentle smile. Makoto glanced up and saw his smile, and a smile also erupted on her face.

"I know," Those two words spoke of a time when they were still young and they still talked frequently and hung out and were close. An understanding was formed between them and the tension between them seemed to weaken and dissipate slowly.

Of course, a slight awkwardness and tension still existed- years of infrequent contact with each other wasn't that easy to just do away.

They weren't exactly as close as how they were back in their younger years, but they were going towards it.

"Well, seeing that you're better," Akira said, walking around the counter back towards the kitchen. "I suppose you'll be famished."

Makoto's eyes seem to brighten as she saw the smoking hot leblanc curry being placed in front of her. They brightened further as she saw a cup of coffee- also just-brewed and billowing smoke- being placed beside the plate of curry.

She slowly sat back down and stared at the food, her mind seemingly in a faraway place. Akira watched, slightly mesmerised at the sight of her sitting there, eyes dreamy and unfocused, body relaxed and face free of worry.

How long has it been, since they sat and talked like that? He felt melancholy, but warmth quickly replaced it when his mind returned to the present.

"Going to eat that?" Akira asked, shooting at her a knowing grin as she finally resurfaced from her thoughts. She chuckled softly.

"Of course. I hope your skill hasn't deteriorated," She replied, adding a teasing note at the end. Akira snorted lightly.

"That's ridiculous. My skills are omnipotent."

"If you say so."

"I hope there's no sarcasm in there."

"I'll decide if there was any once I taste the food."

"That's not how it works." Makoto laughed at Akira's accusatory glance- a soft, musical sound that he guessed hadn't been heard anyone for more than a few years.

He watched expectantly as she took her first scoop and blew at it before placing the spoon of smoking curry and rice into her mouth.

She reacted just like how he expected her to. Her eyes seemed to widen into large saucers, her whole body perked up and her breathing became deeper as she tasted the curry.

After she swallowed the curry, she carefully picked up the pristine cup filled with smooth, brown coffee and took a small sip. He watched as she swallowed, watched as she placed it back on the table, watched as she stared.

"...It's not the usual one you serve customers." Makoto stated, her voice soft once again- but it was different from before. This time, it wasn't sadness or regret that laced her voice, but disbelief with a tint of joy.

"No."

"This tastes exactly like how I liked it last time."

"Have your preferences changed?"

Makoto shook her head quickly, and gave him a very bright smile.

"No, it has not. Thank you very much for this...and for remembering," She thanked him, and he was taken aback by how much emotion was present in her voice.

"No problem. It's my job to remember my customer's favourite tastes and preferences, after all," He replied with a cocky grin to hide the embarrassment underneath.

Makoto sighed in exasperation at his antics, but her face held a light smile.

"So," Akira started, his head supported by his hand, elbow firmly planted on the counter top. "What are your plans for the future?"

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty interesting choice of question to ask first."

"Just curious, with Shido gone and all," Akira shrugged nonchalently. Makoto paused at the mention of the man, but recovered quickly.

"That's...actually part of the reason why i came here as well." Makoto started, piqueing Akira's interest- with a feeling of foreboding.

"Akira. Ever since Shido, and the reveal of the cognitive world, something caught my attention," Makoto suddenly turned serious. Akira recognised her going into her business-self, and nodded attentively. On the inside, warning sirens blared.

He was hoping against hope that what she was talking about was far from his suspicions, but they were not.

"Remember when we were in Shujin academy? There were many rumors about people suddenly having a change of heart," Makoto continued. A cold feeling grasped at Akira's heart as his suspicions were confirmed.

"Akira, I think those are not rumors now- and not just because of the reveal, but because it explained many things that were unexplainable in the past- especially to US." Makoto was on a roll, and Akira's emotions were on a roller coaster.

"Remember Kamoshida? His sudden change of heart? Madarame? Futaba? Even Haru's ex-fiance, and for me...Kaneshiro," Makoto's body trembled at the mention of that vile man.

Guilt tore at Akira as he saw her stiffen up and shiver. An image flashed past his mind. An image of a young girl in tattered clothes curled into a ball at a corner of a dark room.

* * *

" _Akira...Akira..." Makoto's broken voice stabbed at his heart and soul._

* * *

Thankfully, he had changed Kaneshiro's heart before he really started, but the experience had traumatised and deeply scarred Makoto.

It had taken her a long time, with the help of him and the rest, to refrain from getting a panic attack even with the thought of what happened.

The last he knew, she still got nightmares about it.

"I think," Makoto started once again, her voice slightly strained. "There is another persona user other than Akechi. One that, instead of killing others, helped to change people's hearts for the better instead."

Akira's breath hitched, and his palms started to sweat. He closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath, calming himself down.

"Akira, are you okay? You seem unwell," Makoto asked in concern, her eyebrows scrunched up as she frowned. Akira couldn't resist a grin- her habits were largely unchanged, despite the many years.

"I'm fine. It's just...I never thought about it before. Another persona user, huh..." His Joker skills kicked in, and he lied smoothly. Makoto didn't suspect.

"I found it shocking when I came up with that deduction as well, but I am ninety percent certain that it is true." Makoto stated, and then paused, as though gearing up for the big question.

Akira knew exactly what she was going to ask.

"Akira, that person had helped every since person in our group. I want to find out who it is, and the only way to find such a low-key person...is to become persona users ourselves."

Akira heaved a mental sigh of resignation, but kept his outer appearance natural, forcing a slight look of shock to appear on his face.

"I've asked the rest already. They all agreed. I left you for last because..." Makoto didn't continue. He didn't ask- they both understood.

He had never- for the love of God- been able to refuse their requests. And they trusted him and believed in him- his wisdom and his willingness to help.

It touched him to know that Makoto still believed in him as her best friend and confidant.

It was ironic, really, depressingly so. Never did he think that HE would be the reason his friends would take part in soemthing he himself didnt want them to have any involvement in.

Makoto stared straight at him, and he was lost in her bright red eyes, entranced by the determination and stubbornness and LIFE that had flooded her eyes all of a sudden- much like how they were nearly a decade ago.

"So," Makoto's hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want to become a persona user?"

"It will be dangerous."

"I know."

"We could die."

"I know."

"The person we are talking about may already be dead, or not even the saint you think he is."

"I know."

"Makoto..."

"I'm not changing my decision, Akira, and neither are the others. We all personlly owe this person a lot, some of us our lives," Makoto said, fiery determination burning in her eyes, her red eyes seemed to glow- so different from when she had entered.

"Also," She continued, calming down a little. "This is a way for us to help others. We were all powerless in the past to help even ourselves, but with this power, we can carry out our justice."

Akira seemed to turn into a statue, his body not even moving an inch, but a great maelstrom of emotion could be seen swirling in his eyes.

"Akira," Makoto said, her voice pleading after a few seconds of unresponsiveness from Akira. " _Please."_

A huge, weary sigh travelled through the air, reaching every corner of the room. He took a deep breath and a hand came up to his head as he twirled a random curl of his moppy hair.

What could he say? He knew his friends- they were all stubborn to a godly level. Once they set their mind on something, they wouldn't stop.

If he couldn't stop them, the next best way to keep them safe was to go with them.

So he did the only thing he could.

"...Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

Akira quietly stepped out of the train, eyes sharply observing the dimly lit underground platform of Shibuya.

People walked swiftly and silently, most with their heads down and their backs hunched. Beggars lined the walls opposite the tracks, their weak and thin figures pitifully lying there as they begged for money.

Of course, everyone acted as if they didn't exist. Such was the nature of mankind- selfish and self-serving.

Nothing had changed from when he first arrived at that area.

Not that any of that mattered to Akira. He had long ago given up on expecting anything from mankind.

Still, he flipped a coin into each of the beggar's containers as he walked past them- not because he cared, but because he didn't want to be like those he detested.

Finally, after navigating through the complex underground area, he emerged from the train station into the city.

Shibuya had not changed much on the outside-despite the huge economic downturn during Shido's reign in the office. The city still bustled with activities- cars honking and speeding on the roads, pedestrains knocking and bumping into each other as they hurried about and people busily talking at rapid speeds into their phones as they went about their business.

However, to Akira, such simple and shallow appearances did nothing to hide what lay underneath the seemingly normal appearance of the city.

Fear and despair. They were rampant throughout the city, their oppressive auras filling every nook and cranny, every hidden and open spot, every person's mind and soul.

Shido had left his mark on society- the unstability of his rule, the volatile police, the increased number of psychotic breakdowns through the years-, all of them had brought about said emotions onto anyone under Shido's rule.

And then there was the recent reveal of the cognitive world. The merge. Shadows started appearing and killed many humans, the army was less useful than hoped for, and the Prime Minister was apparently partially a cause of all of it.

It was only Akechi's defection, and the solution he provided, which stopped society from truly falling into ruin- a ruin wrought by fear and despair at their circumstances.

Man had escaped true ruin by the skin of their teeth. Akechi had managed to slow down and ultimately stop the merging of the two worlds.

If the two worlds had fully merged, shadows wouldn't even be able to kill people- people would simply disappear.

He was apathetic to that as well, however. There were few things he cared for, and how the population of Japan was holding up wasn't one of them.

Unfortunately, his friends had decided to be tangled up in this supernatural scale of warfare. In fact, the very reason why he was in city was because of that.

Nervousness suddenly flowed through his veins as he thought up to that point.

He had kept contact with most of them, of course, but infrequently. The exception was Futaba- which was understandable, considering she was like an adopted sister to him.

He didn't know how everything would work out. It had been a long time since they reunited as a whole, and he was unsure of what to expect.

Would they simply click again, like how they seemed to fit each other years ago? Or would they be like Makoto and him at first- distant and awkward, not knowing what to say until Makoto broke down.

He hoped it wouldn't be the latter. Makoto had, after all, been the one to drift the most. The others, in retrospect, weren't as distant as her.

Akira decided not to worry too much. He knew his mind was more towards the negative and pessimistic side, and things might, in reality, not be as bad as he imagined.

Frankly, he really hoped that was the case. Perhaps this was the one and only time he really hoped his prediction was wrong.

He sighed wistfully, his hand coming up to his head to twirl a curl of hair that stuck out as he thought about it, his mind drifting to happier times as he walked towards the diner where they were supposed to meet- every step flaying at his nerves mercilessly as he got closer.

"Hey! Over here!" A very familiar voice rang out through the diner, causing heads to turn to his direction. Akira, recognizing the voice, sighed in exasperation and walked towards the voice, completely unaffected by the attention.

"Futaba, you're here pretty early," He said with a smile as he sat down opposite her, observing her from head to toe.

She hadn't changed much throughout the years- short, round glasses, petite body- she looked like she was fifteen even though she was already a 24 years old.

"Of course I'm early. I skipped the last few lessons of school- they're all boo-ring," Futaba complained in a singsong voice.

"Hey, don't go advertising that. You're still in your uniform," Akira reminded her, pointing accusingly at the familiar brown Shujin academy uniform with pleated skirt.

"Yea yea," Futaba sighed nonchalently. Akira rolled his eyes. Futaba still _acted_ like a fifteen year old as well, which was exactly why she fit in so well with the rest.

Though the reason for that was something he'd rather not think about.

"How was school?" Akira asked, taking off his hoodie and placing it behind him.

"Same old. Topics too boring, teachers too naggy, yada-yada."

"How're your friends coming along?" Akira asked curiously.

"Great! Mika, Aria and I skipped school together today. We seperated at Shibuya 'cuz I had to come for this meeting," Futaba replied cheerfully. Akira stared, and then sighed and massaged his brows.

"Futaba, not everyone has an IQ of over 200. Please don't drag your friends with you to skip school," Akira reprimanded lightly.

"Fine, fine. Yes, mom," Her sarcastic voice replied. It didn't annoy him though- he'd very much prefer her acting this way compared to years ago.

Unbidden memories surfaced in his mind, and he immediately pushed them away.

He'd rather not think about it. It had not been an easy period- for both him and Futaba.

"Hi," A quiet, shy voice spoke up from behind him. Futaba's gaze shifted, and her eyss widened in surprise before squinting as she grinned widely. Akira turned with a genuine smile on his face as well. He knew who that voice belonged to.

"Haru!" Futaba shouted again and rushed forward to give said girl a hug. Haru froze for a second- surprise evident on her face- before she returned the hug gently to the shorter girl.

"It's been a while," Akira said, emotions swirling inside him as he observed Haru- nostalgia being the most prominent.

Dressed in a simple white sweater and blue skinny jeans, she radiated a simple aura of beauty.

Unlike Makoto, Haru had decided to let a board of directors take over Okumura Foods- opting to live a simple carefree life as a cafe owner that catered to busy students and adults who needed to quiet and conducive place to work instead.

She looked as radiant as ever. Her hair was slightly longer- reaching shoulder length now- but still maintained its curly state. It hadn't changed color in the slightest as well- still a light hue of brown.

"I missed you," Haru stated with a tentative smile, her eyes roaming his figure, studying his well-being. "You seem well."

"Six months isn't that long a time," Akira replied with a chuckle. "My life won't crash and burn in such a short period of time."

Haru rolled her eyes at his playful reply, then sighed.

"There was a time we saw each other almost everyday," A hint of sadness could be heard in her voice.

"We have different walks of life. It only makes sense for us not to see each other as often anymore," Akira said. Haru shook her head.

They both knew what he said was just an excuse. They had drifted. Time could always be made in between busy schedules, but none of them could work up the energy to plan.

Growing up and being exposed to the cold reality of the adult world had drained them.

"Hey hey, come sit beside me! I don't want to risk Ryuji or Yusuke," Futaba, sensing the mood dampening, immediately reacted by trying to liven up the mood.

It worked. Haru's hand went up and covered her mouth as she snickered whilst Akira laughed outright. The mood lightened, and Haru sat down beside Futaba.

"How's the cafe?" Akira asked curiously. Last he heard, she had been doing relatively well. "In fact, isn't it exam period now? Many students would miss the ambience of your cafe today."

Haru smiled delightfully at his compliment. "Many would miss yours as well. It's tough to find a cafe like Leblanc anymore." Haru replied with her own compliment, which Akira accepted with a chuckle.

"There they are!" A loud, obnoxious, agonizingly familiar voice boomed throughout the restaurant, causing many heads to turn.

"Quiet down! This is a restuarant, you idiot!" A harsh whisper could be heard amidst the temporary silence.

Haru's eyes twinkled as she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh while Futaba rolled her eyes.

"That annoying duo's here," She groaned in an annoyed tone. The fact that the restaurant was completely quiet caused that particular sentence to be heard by everyone.

A giggle escaped Haru, and Akira shook her head with a genuine grin, barely holding in his own laughter.

"I heard that, you little shrimp," A head of blonde, spiky hair appeared in Akira's field of vision, followed by another head of long, skily brown hair.

"Why am I a 'duo' with this guy?" Ann retorted indignantly, her brows scrunched as she appeared in their line of sight as well.

"Maybe it's because you two act like an old married couple, even since high school?" Futaba sarcastically replied. Her answer, of course, elicited another round of angry retorts and annoyed sighs.

"It seems like the married couple is back at it once again," A deep, amused voice came from behind Ryuji and Ann.

Akira couldn't hold it in this time, a chuckle escaping his lips whilst Haru and Futaba giggled openly. Ann anf Ryuji's jaws dropped in horror as they turned to glare at Yusuke.

"We are NOT an old married couple. HOW did you even know that term anyway?" Ann harshly said.

Yusuke merely blinked, a confused look surfacing on his face.

"You mean, you didn't know you two were called that since high school? I always thought you already knew and accepted it," Yusuke replied in a completely genuine voice.

Ann and Ryuji were so stunned that they couldn't even reply- not even when those seated started to laugh gheir guts out.

Yusuke, on the other hand, started to apologize for using it without their consent and knowledge of it- though that wasn't really the main issue.

Akira observed the scene, a warm feeling burning in his chest and a light smile stuck to his face.

It heartened him to know that even after years, the group dynamics remained. There was still a slight tinge of awkwardness, of course, along with some uncertainty and fear.

However, it was natural, considering how long it had been.

He briefly wondered when had been the last time he felt this complete, this fulfilled. He pushed the thought away immdeiately after.

Better to enjoy the present now, rather than dwell in the past.

"Seems like everyone's here," A cool, collected female voice resounded through their ears.

"Makoto!" Ann exclaimed as she stood up and gave said girl a hug, followed by Futaba shortly after.

Makoto's body stiffened at first, before slowly relaxing and returning the hug to said girls.

"It's been a while," Makoto said with a smile.

"You haven't attended our yearly meetings so many times," Futaba whined. "There was no one to control this Yusuke and Ryuji."

"Hey," Both boys growled in mock annoyance. Makoto chuckled lightly, though Akira could hear the well-hidden guilt and sadness that lay within it.

Their eyes met, and Akira instantly spotted the anxiety and nervousness swirling in her eyes.

Shooting her a comforting smile, he nodded, trying to calm her down. It worked- to a certain extent- judging by the miniscule drooping of her shoulders and the near-invisible relaxation of her face.

"I'm sorry," she replied with an apologetic smile. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together again. I'll make up for it."

Yusuke and Ryuji both visibly paled, fear apparent on their faces. The rest merely chuckled in amusement, but died down quickly as soon as the meaning of Makoto's words truly registered in their minds.

The mood became solemn almost immediately, leaving behind an empty feeling in Akira's heart.

Makoto seemed to realise it too, as she visibly bit her lips, regret shining in her eyes.

He sighed softly. It wasn't Makoto's fault. Sooner or later, the atmosphere would have been broken anyway. After all, they hadn't met up simply for a social gathering and catch-up.

It had been hard to get them all together. He truly wished that it hadn't been for such a serious reason that they did.

"...When is he going to arrive?" Akira asked, distaste lacing his tone as he glanced at Makoto. Makoto seemed to sense the distaste in his voice, and knew that everyone else at the table felt the same.

"I think he should be here soon," She replied, and then let out a soft, resigned sigh. Akira felt a tinge of regret for making her feel worst than she already did.

After all, to carry out her plan- the only plan plausible- they had to invite a certain person.

A person he really hated, moreso than anyone he had come across in his entire life. Being a persona user, that meant something.

"I'm here," A smooth, intelligent sounding voice replied. Everyone's eyes shot to the owner of the voice- a tall, lean man wearing a grey hoodie and skinny blue jeans with black sneakers.

The hood was over his head, so people couldn't really see his face, but everyone at the table had a clear view of it.

Though not a single one liked to see it. The corner of Akira's lips twitched as a hot wave of pure anger sheared through his entire being. Electric sparks danced across his fingers while a small flame appeared within his clenched fists under the table, but he quickly snuffed them out. It would not do to expose himself- especially with the sharp-eyed persona user in front of them.

It took all his willpower not to turn into his persona counterpart and gut the person with his blade.

Standing in front of them, hands in his pockets with a knowing smirk plastered to his face was the largest criminal- and ironically also the timely savior- of Japan, Goro Akechi.


	5. Chapter 5

"It seems like every one is on time," Akira tried to keep an emotionless face as Akechi's voice traveled across the air.

Staring at Akechi's insufferably smirking face, it took all of Akira's willpower to stay his hand.

He _despised_ Akechi. The hatred he felt towards this slim and seemingly harmless man was so deep that even the self-control he had slowly trained and nurtured throughout the years could barely keep him in check.

He could see that the others weren't doing great as well. If there was one person who he could name that would _never_ be able to hide his feelings, it would be Ryuji.

And just as he expected, Ryuji's face looked like a very amusing mix of a dying pig and an angry horse. Akira was surprised, however, that Ryuji managed to hold himself back from shooting a comeback.

 _Time really does wonders._ Akira thought, and a heavy melancholic feeling descended upon him. It was a reminder of how things never remained the same that things would always change as time goes by.

It was a painful reminder of...everything.

 _Nothing in his life had lasted._

He pushed the thought aside easily, and the emotions that roiled in him just a moment ago drained away like water.

He had long since stopped caring about such insignificant things. The past didn't matter to him. Not anymore.

"Bring another chair here," Makoto told Akechi, her voice neutral- though Akira could detect a hint of discomfort in it.

Figures, To them, Akechi was a danger, a volatile subject. While the Cognitive World had not merged that much with reality, the boost from his personas made it easy for him to wantonly kill. To them, Akechi was more dangerous then a sharpshooter with a gun.

Of course, with him around, none of them would get hurt. If Akechi showed even the slightest intent of injuring his friends, he would have a world of pain waiting for him.

Akechi was strong. Both his personas were powerful and could take on many shadows at a time. He had personally faced down Masayoshi Shido's shadow and won- a testament to his strength. Akira recognized his strength, and appreciated it- but it ended there.

Akira was stronger.

The air was completely silent safe for the background noise. Everyone was tensed, their eyes carefully observing the shady figure that was bringing another chair over.

After the torturous few seconds of waiting for Akechi to settle himself down, Akechi finally started the discussion.

"So, I heard that you guys have something to ask of me," Akechi started, his voice calm and collected whilst sounding as though he knew something everyone else didn't. Akira sighed mentally when he realised that this voice he was hearing had not changed much even after the course of a few years.

He briefly lamented that fact and wondered- were the pleasant things never meant to last, while the unpleasant ones remained eternal?

Silence reigned for a few more seconds, no one knowing how to respond- or rather, no one was bold enough to be the one to kick start the discussion.

Akira was silently praying that his friends would simply just think twice about their decisions, voice their doubts and ultimately give up on the idea of awakening their own personas. He was was almost tempted to simply be the one to voice their doubts out, and slowly dissuade them from doing this.

Yet, he didn't. He couldn't.

While he oh-so-dearly wished that his friends would _never_ be involved with the Cognitive World, he knew that it was impossible at the current times. In the past, if there had not been any overlapping of worlds, if shadows merely stayed as shadows and cognition merely stayed as imagination, he would have immediately stopped them.

It was different now. It would be safer for them to actually awaken their personas. While this meant that they would be more involved in the battle between cognition and reality, he knew that they would still be safer having the strength to fight back.

He was not so naive as to think that simply avoiding the whole thing would keep them safer. Sooner or later, the two different worlds will be at war, and those that had no way to fight were simply sitting ducks for picking.

More importantly, however, was that he would not make their decisions for them- indirectly or not. As far as he could, he would not touch his friends or change their lives in any way. Not unless they were at risk of going down the deep end entirely.

So he waited patiently, easily acting as stiff and uncomfortable as the rest, glancing left and right as though he was wondering who would broach the topic first. Of course, he had no doubt who would be the one to start the conversation. It was easy to guess,

"We want to know how to unlock our personas," Straight to the point, as usual. Makoto was never one to shy away from her problems no matter what. Yes, she was always cautious, but that was not a sign of cowardice. Instead, it was a sign of her wisdom.

Bold, yet wise. Akira looked forward to seeing her persona. It would no doubt be one of the strongest he had ever seen.

In fact, he could already roughly guess which personas each of his friends would have.

"Straight to the point as usual, Miss Nijima," Akechi's tone held amusement, but also had the slightest hint of admiration inside.

"There is no time to waste," Makoto replied shortly, her tone curt. She made it clear that they were meeting only out of necessity and nothing else, and that they had business to do.

"That much is true," Akechi said, and Akira was slightly surprised to hear a silver of solemness in his voice. Akechi had never cared for anything else other than to destroy his father.

Akira had thought that Akechi was merely putting on a show for the whole world to see when he revealed the problem at hand. It seemed as though that wasn't the case- at least not entirely.

After agreeing, instead of continuing as what they all expected, Akechi opted to slowly take a look around the people at the table. Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they felt Akechi's gaze sweep past them, but everyone had one thing in common- they were all staring back at him with determination.

After finishing whatever he was doing, his smile- the slimy one which he always wore on his face- suddenly widened, this time, he didn't try to hide the amusement he felt.

Akira wanted to tear that smile to pieces. No matter how much Akechi had changed, how much more selfless or kind he had become- which Akira highly doubted-, Akira knew that Akechi was helping them for his own amusement to a certain extent.

In the end, Akira did not succumb to his impulse.

"It seems you all are very determined," Akechi finally started, and Akira was once again surprised that Akechi's demeanor started to change to a more serious state.

Akira was slowly starting to be convinced that something in Akechi had _really_ changed. Not in some small, insignificant way as well.

He briefly wondered what had changed Akechi. Had finally achieving his goal after a whole lifetime of toiling caused him to pursue another? Had finally succeeding in murdering his father caused him to rethink and change his ideals?

Akira refused to believe that Akechi had changed into a saint. Human nature doesn't change that way, at least, not in the mundane, normal way.

There _was_ one way to have a one-eighty switch in personality, but he did not think that it was possible for Akechi.

Persona users weren't supposed to have palaces, nor were they supposed to have shadows.

Traditionally, that is. There _were_ special cases where a persona user could have a palace.

A nagging feeling ate at Akira's heart, but he swiftly extinguished the feeling. It was neither the right time nor place to think about it.

"Let's get on with it then," Akechi's voice turned business-like, as though he was in the midst of a business transaction.

"The very first thing you all have to know is what a persona is," Akechi started. "I'm sure you have seen me in the news as of late."

"Yes," Makoto replied while nodding his head. "From what I've heard, a persona is something that comes about after you have so called 'torn off your mask', am I right?"

"As expected, you have done your research," Akechi replied with his smirk. "And that thankfully makes it a bit simpler for me to explain."

"Can you just get straight to the point," Ryuuji growled impatiently, glaring with annoyance at Akechi, before wincing and changing his target to the blonde girl beside him after said girl smacked the back of his head.

"Can you just be patient this once?" Ann berated, irritation evident in her voice. Ryuuji was about to retort when another voice cut in before he could let a word out.

"The two of you should stop this lover's squabble," Yusuke, with his usual out-of-context comments, once again proved his exceptionally terrible skill at making conversation.

"Now, let's all focus here," Akira decided to raise his voice a little and catch everyone's attention as soon as he noticed Futaba starting to speak up. He knew that there would be no end to the quarrels if he didn't step in.

A small smile graced his lips as that thought crossed his mind, and a sense of nostalgia hit him like a brick as memories of the old days flashed by his mind.

The smile left his lips, and the nostalgia seeped away. As much as he would have liked to enjoy the usual banter of his friends, he knew that it wasn't the right time.

From the time when Akechi sat down, from the time Makoto replied Akechi saying they wanted to unlock their personas, he knew that the last chance for them to turn back had gone right out of the window.

And since they had set their minds to it, he would make sure that they would safely and efficiently succeed.

Akechi glanced at Akira, his sharp eyes studying him. Akira, however, merely stared right back, his calm eyes giving nothing away.

He had faced down worst things. Akechi would gain nothing from him.

After a few seconds, Akechi was the first one to break eye-contact, and Akira felt a small sense of satisfaction when he spotted a hint of discomfort in Akechi's eyes. Akechi, however, being who he is, recovered quickly, and whatever traces of how perturbed he was just a second ago disappeared like smoke.

"To be honest, you already have the answer," Akechi continued, his usual smirk back in place. "I have said it multiple times- you merely have to face down your inner demons, and overcome them," Akechi spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"We're not here to know what's the requirements to unlock our personas," Makoto replied in a split second. "What we want to know is the process. _How_ do we unlock our personas."

"I know that there is a special requirement to this," Makoto steadily continued, her finger tapping the table lightly- another habit she hadn't gotten rid off- as she spoke thoughtfully. "If it was so easy to become a persona user, the world would have at least a few thousand more persona users. Yet, so far, there's only been around a hundred new persona-users in Japan."

"What I want to know," Makoto's tone was firm as she met Akechi's eyes. "Is _how._ "

It was very obvious that what she meant wasn't the general 'face your demons' way.

"You want to know how I got my persona," Akechi's voice was low, his smirk dimmed ever so slightly.

"No," Makoto shook her head. "I already know how you got your persona."

Akira felt a chill run down his spine. Makoto had stayed sharp, alright. In fact, she was sharper- if he was not wrong- as compared to before.

"The only reason why some people can unlock their personas now in the real world is because the lines between the two worlds are fading, and the Cognitive World is slowly merging with the real world, allowing some lucky people to gain their personas.

"However, in the past, there was no merger of the Cognitive World and the real world," Makoto pushed on. "Hence, there is only one way you unlocked your persona- which only exists in the cognitive world- and that is by entering a palace and facing your inner demons there."

The sound of sharp intakes of breath could be heard from all around the table- Akira included, but for different reasons from the rest.

Admiration for Makoto swelled up within him.

Perhaps, to the likes of him, Morgana and Akechi, this was a well-known fact, something that has no substance to be surprised about. However, to the likes of the people who had never even touched the Cognitive World before, this fact would- at the very least- be extremely hard to deduce.

Most people at this point of time were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that a whole separate world existed and was merging with their own, yet Makoto had already established the whole story as a fact and delved deeper into the mysteries surrounding it.

And Akechi, as hatefully astute as ever, immediately understood what Makoto was hinting at.

"You want a shortcut." It wasn't a question, but Makoto nodded her head anyway.

"I want you," Makoto stared at him straight in the eye, her tone suddenly turning fierce and severe, "To bring us into the cognitive world and help us unlock our shadows quickly."


	6. Chapter 6

**Seems like a lot of fillers, but yea I like to take stories slow. Apologies for those that dislike the pacing haha it'll get a little faster now (I think)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

What followed Makoto's words was a long, still silence- with only the background noise being heard.

To Akira's amusement, even _Akechi_ seemed to be at a lost of words. He suspected while Akechi had come with certain expectations, he definitely did not expect Makoto to have analysed so far, or be so bold as to suggest such a thing.

He himself was surprised. While he and Makoto had not talked for a very long time, he had kept tabs on her- on all of his friends- and he knew that she had not changed much from the pass. Yet, he _still_ had underestimated her skills, and her boldness.

Whilst his face held a look of shock similar to everyone else's at the table, he was quietly enjoying- with a slight sadism- the troubled look on Akechi's face.

"...The risk is very high," Akechi finally started after a few seconds of ponder. "It is much safer to try to unlock your personas in reality instead of in the cognitive world."

"Much safer, but also much slower. Furthermore, the chances of actually unlocking personas in reality is extremely low."

"The shadows in the cognitive world are strong. Going in without a persona is like going into suicide," Akechi further explained.

"That's why I'm trusting you to pick the least dangerous and most efficient ways to unlock the personas for us." Makoto refused to back down, while all the while, the heads of the rest were turning left and right as they looked at the two speaking.

A deep frown appeared on Akechi's face. His eyes traveled across the table, carefully observing and analyzing the faces he saw.

"It seems that it's not just you who wants to do this," Akechi commented as he finished studying every person at the table. "Somehow, you've managed to get your friends in to your...bold move."

Akechi's voice held a tone of wonderment.

No one said anything for a moment. Makoto chose to keep her silence, while the rest were used to letting Makoto do negotiations. As such, they kept their silence.

"Tell me," Akechi finally started again, his voice full of curiosity. "You've never tried to take the risky way before. Everything you did, you did with precise calculations and sound wisdom. This is the most reckless move I've ever seen you make."

"What is your motivation?" Akechi's voice turned serious. "Don't tell me it's to fight for the good of humankind or the likes."

Akechi's voice suddenly turned cold.

"We all know that nobody is that selfless."

Everyone started to shift uncomfortably after that sentence. Ryuiji's mouth opened and he was about to speak, before a high-pitched squeak escaped from it instead and his mouth shut tightly as he glared fiercely at the blond girl beside him.

"Do we have to tell you for out partnership to go through?" Makoto's voice made everyone's restless body still as they focused on Akechi, anxiously awaiting his reply.

"After all, I am the one helping you unlock your personas, so I have the right to know," Akechi replied with an insufferably sly grin. Akira could almost feel the atmosphere turn tangibly cold, and he could even hear the heavy breathing from a certain hot-headed individual.

"It is rather personal," To Akira's surprise, it was the quiet voice of Haru that retorted. The look of stubbornness on her face surprised him even further.

Dragging his eyes across the table, he could see similar expressions of determination and stubbornness on everyone else's faces.

It produced conflicted emotions within him.

Frustration at them for being so stubborn to jump into danger, warmth that they still remembered about how he had helped them in the past- even though they did not know it was him-, fear that they would do something rash, and that the fault would be his.

His body shuddered slightly and he forcibly repressed the emotions. A lips twitched up extremely slightly into a wry smile.

It had really been a long time since he felt so many emotions, so much so that it felt strangely nostalgic.

"Then it will work both ways," Makoto's firm voice broke him out of his trance. "We can tell you the reason, but you need to tell us _your_ reason as well."

Akechi stilled, and Akira almost couldn't hold back his smile. If it was anyone that could win a battle of wits and intelligence against the prodigy detective, it would be Makoto.

"After all, we all know that nobody is that selfless," Makoto replied with an innocent smile as her finger tapped rhythmically on the table. Ryuji and Futaba didn't even bother to hide the smirk from their faces while the rest had barely restrained smiles.

"...Agreed," Akechi finally sighed. Everyone perked up, slightly shocked that Akechi had actually given in, and yet eager to hear his reason.

"Let us plan our course of action then," Akechi continued, his voice back to the business-like tone he had before the small argument.

"When do you want to start unlocking your personas? Are you all ready?" Akechi pushed forward, completely ignoring the slightly stunned people sitting around the table.

"Wait, were you not supposed to exp-" Yusuke started, a confused frown stuck to his face. He was promptly cut off by Ann's hand over his mouth. All that was heard after that were muffled grunts.

"We should be ready by next week. Is that alright with you?" Makoto replied smoothly, not showing any signs of being surprised by Akechi's total deviation of the conversation. She knew perfectly well that Akechi would not share his reasons- not at the current moment, at least.

Akira, similarly, was not surprised in the slightest. If anything, he felt more at peace. He was still unable to fathom just why Akechi suddenly decided to fight Yaldaboath, and the idea that Akechi was doing it for a selfless reason made him very uncomfortable.

Seeing Akechi react this way reassured him that no, Akechi had not undergone some life-changing ways, but instead had an ulterior motive- just that Akira could not think up of the reason.

However, no matter how reluctant he was, he knew that they would be spending a lot of time with each other now. Sooner or later, the reason will come to light. There was no hurry to find out- as long as Akechi meant no harm to his friends.

"Yes, that is fine. I will meet you at the Shibuya station at eight in the morning," Akechi said with a tone of finality, before standing himself up.

"W-Wait, that's it? No briefing on what we're going to do? No advice on what to bring?" Ann managed to choke out, barely overcoming her shock at the abrupt ending.

By that time, Akechi was already a meter away from the table, and showed no signs of stopping. Akira hid a small smirk when he saw Akechi's slightly flurried pacing and imperceptibly stiff shoulders.

Makoto had done a good job at countering him. Akechi had lost his composure. Even if it was the tiniest lost of it, it was a feat that could only be done by the sharpest and wittiest of people.

After all, Akechi- no matter how hateful he was- was someone who had managed to back-stab and murder the president of Japan while being by right by his side all the time. Masayoshi Shido was no easy man to fool- he was smart and powerful.

It was just that Akechi was smarter, and he was definitely more powerful.

Akira actually felt the smallest, tiniest bit of gratitude for Akechi. Once upon a time, Masayoshi Shido had been his worst nightmare, the harbinger of his despair and sorrow.

However, it only reached till there. Shido had only been the first, as well as the least painful thing that had happened to him. He had started the chain, but eventually, Akira slowly felt almost nothing at the thought of him.

Shido was far from the most terrifying thing he had experienced ever since that day.

"You should bring some toy guns," Akechi replied with a seemingly completely unrelated answer. "The more real looking, the better. Maybe some toy weapons that look realistic would do as well."

Akira understood where he was coming from, but the way he said it- Akira was sure that there would a misunderstanding. Indeed, Ryuji immediately stood up and almost loudly cursed at Akechi in front of everyone.

Of course, with the unforgiving Ann by his side all the time, his outburst ended up into an amusing grunt of pain when he felt Ann step on his foot hard.

Akira could see that everyone else on the table, while their reactions had not been as explosive as Ryuji, were just as annoyed and also perplexed by his statement.

"Don't worry. I'm not joking. You'll understand once you reach the Cognitive World," Akechi's voice was mixed with scorn as well as amusement.

Without saying anything more, he exited the cafe.


	7. Chapter 7

**I've planned a schedule, and I'm gonna try to stick to it. Chapters will come out on mondays! I'll try to make it consistent HAHA**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

A chill invaded Akira's body, seemingly entering him through every single pore of his body. He recognized this feeling- more often than not, it did not bode well.

Opening his eyes, he glared at the blue, jagged, triangular-looking designs of the ceiling.

Annoying.

Sitting up, his eyes roamed the cell. Nothing had changed from the past. Unsurprising, to say the least. The velvet room was a separate entity from the rest of the world- a place usually devoid of people other than Igor and Lavenza. A realm between consciousness and subconsciousness, there are rarely any visitors to the place.

Unfortunately, Akira always seemed to be pulled back into this accursed room- regardless of whether it was Igor or Yaldaboath.

He tried to sit up, and a deep frown appeared on his face. His hands and feet felt heavy, as though there was something stuck to them, weighing them down. He immediately knew what it was, and displeasure saturated his heart.

Looking down, his frown disappeared, and a cold, emotionless look appeared on his face. The moment he saw what he was wearing, he knew something was wrong, and the somewhat relaxed mood he had a few seconds ago disappeared.

Calm. Cold. Those were the only words that would describe him at the moment.

He was dressed in something he had not seen for a long, _long_ time- the crumpled, dusty, wrinkly black-and-white striped prisoner's outfit was a sight for sore eyes, more so the handcuffs he had on his wrists, and the heavy metal ball attached to his feet with a chain.

A glint of coldness appeared in his eyes. Ignoring the pain that spread through his body, his sat himself up, stood up and slowly walked towards the metal bars just three feet away from him.

The table was gone, and so were Igor and Lavenza. All that stood in the middle of the room was a single, golden cup.

Akira did not say anything. His body and face revealed nothing- his back was straight, his face was expressionless. He stared at the cup with cold eyes, completely silent.

An eerie quiet pervaded the room. Neither of them said anything. Akira simply stared, while the gigantic golden cup floated silently in the middle of the room, it's bright colour a sharp contrast to the deep blue of the room.

"You are entering the fight," A deep, somewhat holy voice permeated throughout the room, echoing off the cushion-layered walls of the velvet room.

Akira's mouth did not open. His dead eyes showing no reaction nor emotion.

"After so many years, why come back?" Yaldaboath continued after a good ten seconds of silence. Again, Akira did not reply. He was like a statue- unmoving, unspeaking, completely devoid of feelings or emotions.

"WHY ARE YOU COMING BACK?" The so-called God could no longer hide its displeasure, its voice reaching an inhumane level of loudness. A force exploded forth from the huge cup, like a tidal wave in a crazy storm. It caused the metal bars of every other cell to creak and bend slightly, and some even showed signs of breaking.

A suffocating pressure seemed to bog down the entire area, causing the bars to show even more signs of shattering. Some already had cracks decorating them.

If it was any other place, this wouldn't be anything outstanding or amazing. After all, Yaldaboath was a God.

But in the velvet room, for the bars to be pressurized to this state showed his power.

Only Akira's bars showed no signs of breakage. In fact, Akira's room was not affected at all. His clothes did not show the slightest signs of being disturbed. His chains did not rattle, his hair did not flutter, his garments remained completely untouched.

As soon as Yaldaboath's power seemed to start simmering down, and the room seemed to calm, a sharp glint sparked across Akira's eyes. A split second later, all hell broke loose.

The bars of every room shattered into countless, tiny metal shards, flying in all directions at the speed of sound. A loud boom echoed resoundingly, and even the holy grail was blasted backwards- just managing to stabilize itself before it smashed against a wall behind it.

The chains were gone, and so were the handcuffs and the prisoner's garments. What replaced the chains, handcuffs and prisoner garments were his signature red gloves, black tailcoat, his slim-fitting dark grey shirt, black pants and his high-cut, pointed dark-as-night boots.

The aura that was emanated from Akira at that very moment was astonishing. The pressure his very presence exerted caused the shards embedded in the walls and ground to shiver uncontrollably, and even the holy grail seemed to float a little lesser above the ground, as though it was being pushed down by an invisible force- which, of course, it was.

"Even at the lowest level of the mementos, you might not be able to match me, much less now." Akira finally broke his silence. Although he said it softly, his voice still echoed throughout the room- not loudly like the God's but powerful and firm.

"How strong have you become?" Yaldaboath's voice sounded much more subdued, and in its voice was a hint of fear and shock It

"You will find out soon enough," Akira simply replied. A trace of disdain appeared in his eyes as he continued to stare calmly at the golden cup. "Now, begone."

He moment the final word left his mouth, a shadow flew across the room, originating from his body and smashing into the golden cup. It was a dagger, but unlike any dagger seen before.

The blade was slightly curved with two incisions, and despite the dark lighting, it nevertheless glinted dangerously, as though promising to mercilessly slice through anything that it meets. It's silver body stood out against the darkness, a silver reaper glowing within the darkness.

Unlike other normal handles with guards - where their guards are usually loop guards- , this dagger's guard was straight and not connected to the pommel of the dagger.

Usually, very few things could pierce into the body of the God of Sloth. Even if it was only a clone, and only a small bit of consciousness was present in it, it was still extraordinarily powerful.

However, all this was child's play in front of Akira.

Only the handle of the dagger could be seen- the rest of the blade had fully pierced into the golden cup, all the way to the hilt. A screeching, agonizing scream was emitted from the cup as it slowly faded away into oblivion.

"You will regret this! I am the only one stopping hi-"

Before its desperate dying throes could be completed, a bullet shot through the cup, piercing straight through it as though it was made of paper. A dark, huge and terrifying silhouette was mirroring Akira's actions- the shadow of a gun with a long barrel pointed in the same direction as Akira's own weapon.

If anyone saw Akira's eyes at that very moment, they would have been stunned silent. An unnatural yellow could be seen in his swirling eyes, so bright that it was glaring, so fierce that it was piercing.

The very next moment, Akira blinked, and the yellow was gone, as well as the fear-inducing shadow behind him,

A bright light flashed across the room, blinding him for a moment. He closed his eyes calmly, and opened them again three seconds later to an entirely untouched room.

"It is not the first time I've said this," Igor's voice came from behind him. "But you have grown stronger- so strong until even I am unclear of how powerful you really are."

A trace of pleasure entered Akira's heart when he managed to catch the faint hint of astonishment that was well-hidden within Igor's voice. It was a huge achievement to stun even Igor.

"Did you let it do this?" Akira asked, turning around and glaring daggers at Igor. As usual, his snarky smile was plastered on his face, and his twig-like finger tapped the table repeatedly in a rhythm that irked Akira.

"No, I did not. It used a backdoor that he had placed and hidden here from when I was still sleeping. It has been years- I did not expect it to have this card in its hand."

For Igor to actually have a slight scowl on his face- no matter how tiny and small it was- showed that Igor was displeased about this turn of events. It also quelled Akira's desires to punch him in the face.

"Greetings, Akira. It has been a while," A soft, angelic voice came from behind Igor, Akira's eyes lifted from Igor to observe the person that was standing by igor's side. The corners of his lips twitched upwards, and he nodded in greeting.

"Hello, Lavenza. You look well," Akira greeted in return, his voice a substantially less cold and even a little warm as compared to before.

She was the only being beside his friends to whom he would treat well. During his first few months as a persona user, when she was still separated into Caroline and Justine, she had taken care of him well.

Her split personality had leaned more towards the mean and gruff side, but they never lacked kindness, and helped him whenever he was in need. When she had recovered into her current self, she had gotten rid of that negative part of her as well, becoming much more pleasant overall.

She- like Igor- almost always stayed in the velvet room. Even after seeing her for so many years, her appearance had not changed the slightest. With her silky silvery hair which flowed towards the mid of her back, soft, yellow eyes and constant smile, she was still the Lavenza he had known from back then.

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr Joker," Lavenza curtsied with a light teasing remark on top of it. Akira allowed it.

Lavenza- in the form of Caroline and Justine - had been the first that he had met after Morgana that knew about the Cognitive World, No matter how rude or how rough they had been with him, it was impossible to deny that she had guided him and helped him through the first few months.

In a way, it was largely because of her that he was who he was at that very moment. Even Igor had only known him after he had cast Yaldaboath away from the velvet room.

Other than Morgana, Lavenza had been with him throughout the most difficult part of his life. She was one of the _very_ few he really appreciated and trusted.

He smiled lightly at her tease, accepting it in good nature.

He then looked back at Igor, and the smile slid off his face, being replaced with a serious look.

When I encountered that figment of consciousness just now, it mentioned something as it faded." Unlike the usual calm and monotonous voice he usually used, his voice held severity and seriousness.

Akira studied Igor's face to the utmost as he spoke, gleaning every single little change that could be observed from his face.

"Oh?" Igor asked, his mischievous voice grating against his ears. "Might I know what it might be about?"

"I did not let it complete the sentence, but from what I heard, it seemed to be holding something back," Akira continued, getting straight to the point. A small sense of satisfaction and curiosity arose in him when he saw Igor's eyes twitch.

It was such a small twitch that to any normal human being, it would mind as well be considered not moving at all. However, Akira's senses were heightened to an unknown level in his persona form. This small twitch that would seem unnoticeable to the average human being was as easy to spot as one would spot a mountain.

"You know something about it," Akira stated. Their eyes met, and a staring contest began. Akira's unyielding eyes met Igor's piercing one steadily.

Igor lost the battle, shaking his head after a good five minutes. He knew how Akira's personality was like, and if he decided to be stubborn, there was hardly anything in the world that could convince him to give in.

"I do not exactly know what are the circumstances surrounding Yaldaboath and his plans at the very moment," Igor said, his voice unusually serious. "But based on certain clues I have picked up, there seems to be another being other than Yaldaboath that is doing something behind the scenes."

That sentence made Akira's heart grow cold.

"Is it possible that that other being is stronger than Yaldaboath?" Akira asked, a small urgency evident in his voice.

He had never cared about this issues before, but now that his friends were getting themselves into this, he had to know the risks, and work on how to keep his friends safe.

"I do not know, but from what I can infer, the being is currently weaker than Yaldaboath. If not, that being would have been exposed by now." Akira frowned worriedly at this statement.

"What do you mean by 'currently'?" Akira asked.

"As you know, Yaldaboath is growing weaker with the recent turn of events. It's power is slowly waning, and it had decided to take a desperate gamble- to take over the world and make it it's palace."

"Make the entire world it's palace?" Akira snorted. "It must be insane,"

"I beg to differ," Igor immediately refuted him. "Yaldaboath, till recently, could have already taken over the whole of Japan. Japan, under Masayoshi's rule, was already as good as its own. However, it refrained from starting its actions, slowly seeping into other countries, overturning their governments, making people subject to his puppets' rules."

"Why did it not take over Japan first? If it had, it would have grown in power, and could have prevented Akechi from killing Shido." Akira questioned inquisitively.

Igor held up his hand, and two snow white-gloved fingers stuck out. "Two reasons," Igor stated, the mischievous glint in his eyes telling Akira that Igor was excited about all of this.

"One," He started, retracting one of his fingers. "He was afraid that once he starts, the other being would take action as well. He would rather win it all at one go, instead of fighting an all out war with the other being."

"The second reason," Igor was smiling madly this time. "Was, and still is, you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Give some constructive criticism and review!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

Akira was in a bad mood.

Needless to say, the bad mood was largely attributed to the little episode with Yaldaboath and Igor- more specifically, the fact that the event had caused to him to wake up later than the time he had planned to awaken, which had eventually caused him to rush through his morning so that he could reach the meeting point on time.

Despite him doing things at the fastest pace that he could manage, he was _still_ late for the meeting at Shibuya Station. As if adding salt to the wound, he had to experience the irritating and suffocating hustle and bustle of the morning crowd- something he would have beaten if not for that little event.

It annoyed him to the point where he wanted to enter into the depths of the mementos at that very moment and confront Yaldaboath.

At that thought, he sighed.

It was not as if the thought had not crossed his mind. The moment he heard that Makoto and his friends wanted to become persona users, he had immediately visited the mementos, intending to take down Yaldaboath before his friends stepped into this cruel world of danger and death.

However, when he had entered the mementos, he found that it had changed. Drastically.

Or, to be more accurate, the atmosphere had changed.

The shadows were still there, as were the trains, the eerily designed walls that changed at every floor, the gooey substances that littered the ground- everything looked the same.

However, he could feel the change in the air. The heaviness had lessened, and the pressure that usually weighed down on his shoulders seemed to have disappeared. When he had first felt this, he immediately understood.

Yaldaboath had left the mementos.

In hindsight, he should have expected it. Yaldaboath would definitely not let itself be easily found the moment it made its move. Nevertheless, Akira had been surprised- he had thought Yaldaboath would be too arrogant to go into hiding- proclaiming itself a god.

He had not known just how much Yaldaboath had been cautious of him. It was only from his conversation with Igor that he had found out- he himself was one of the reasons why Yaldaboath had not began its plan initially.

Some would have felt at least a tiny ounce of pride at the fact that they were considered powerful enough to be a threat in front of a god, while others would have felt happy that their own power had managed to delay the suffering of the multitudes.

Akira - against all expectations- could not give a single fuck about it.

If he had to be very honest, in a very small corner of his heart, he was even slightly disappointed. Disappointed that Yaldaboath had delayed its own plans due to himself.

He was no savior. If he were to describe his own alignment, it would _at best_ be neutral. If his friends did not exist, rather than fighting against Yaldaboath, he would have long encouraged it to impose its will upon the World.

The World deserved no saving.

"Akira! You're late!" A hyped-up voice boomed across the entire train station, somehow overwhelming the noise generated by the screeching trains and hurrying citizens. It also caused Akira to wince slightly.

"Quiet down, you blockhead! You don't need to announce his sin to the entire universe!" As expected, an annoyed, reprimanding voice could be heard right after, though much less loud.

"I'm only three feet away from you, Ryuji," Akira followed up with Ann's words, letting out a small, exasperated sigh and a small, wry smile when he saw Ryuji scratching the back of his head, sheepish and slightly guilty.

"Sorry, habit," Ryuji apologised with a less than satisfactory explanation and an awkward chuckle. Akira shook his head, and the both of them chuckled together while Ann fumed at the side.

It may have been years since their school days, but the Ann and Ryuji had hardly changed. It brought about a surge of warmth within Akira, and nostalgia filled him as he reminisced about how they had these kinds of conversations almost everyday when they were younger.

It was good to have met them again.

"It is rare for you to be late, much less thirty minutes late, Akira," Makoto commented as she walked up towards them. Akira shifted his gaze towards her, and then behind her. He was the last one to be there. Even Akechi was skulking at the back, leaning over the railing and staring at the city.

"I... overslept" Akira said, his gaze returning to Makoto as he scratched the back of his head- in a way that was eerily similar to how Ryuji did it.

Acting as though it was his fault and being sheepish was the ideal way to reply- he could not possibly explain that he was late due to being forcefully dragged into the Cognitive World and had a battle with the main perpetrator of this entire situation.

"Have you been stressed lately?" Makoto's worried voice touched his heart, and he gave her one of his genuine smiles, nodding.

"I really just overslept. It won't happen again," Akira answered smoothly with an embarrassed chuckle. Makoto seemed to study him for a few more seconds, but being as trained as he was, he effortlessly played out his facade perfectly.

After a few seconds, Makoto finally accepted his reasoning, and shook her head with a small smile.

"Maybe your bones are growing old," She teased lightly, to which he replied with a soft snort.

"That would mean your bones are old as well, Makoto," Yusuke's deep voice cut in to the conversation. As usual, his words were as tactless as ever, and Makoto simply stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes and shaking her head, a sigh of resignation escaping her lips.

Haru's sweet and soft laughter floated through the air, followed by a slightly strained laugh from Futaba. His eyes shifted towards Futaba, and noticed that she was slightly tensed, her eyes shifting around, looking extremely uncomfortably and out of place.

A stab of pain sprung up from within him, and he quickly walked towards Futaba.

If people asked who he thought needed protection the most amongst his friends, he would, without hesitation, say that it would be Futaba.

He still remembered the first time they had met. She had been so scared, so afraid to talk to him, suffering from so much trauma and pain that he could almost feel the distortions of her heart from the real world.

She had been so close, _so close_ to giving in to her suicidal thoughts. If Sojiro had brought him to her one day later, Futaba would very likely not have lived to the age of 24.

An unbearable ache arose within his heart, and it felt as though it was being squeezed by a huge hand at that very moment.

 _Sojiro..._

It had been eight years already since that incident, and he had not yet gotten over the horrifying events that had taken place at that period of time. It had been the lowest point of his life, and also the turning point of his life.

It had been then that he decided- humanity was not worth it.

As soon as he reached Futaba's side, however, concern for her overwhelmed all other thoughts and the tumultuous emotions that were roiling within him. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, placing a gentle hand on the top of her head.

His heart ached when he felt the slight tremble within her body, but it stopped almost a split second after, and she looked up at him with determined eyes.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Giving him the bravest smile she could offer.

Yes, she had recovered a lot since eight years ago. She had started going to school by herself, and even made a friend. But the school she went to was in a quiet neighborhood. She rarely stepped into the town area, and it took a lot of bravery to push down her fear of crowds and meet the group of them.

She had not recovered fully from the past.

He felt extreme sadness for her, but also extreme pride. She was starting to grow independent.

Perhaps, this escapade that the group had decided to take on would help her to better deal with her past. If she could overcome the shadows of her heart, he knew that she would only get better.

It was a mixed kind of feeling. He did not want to place her in any kind of danger, and yet he knew- deep in his heart- that the best way that she could recover was to overcome her own shadows by herself.

"That's good," He replied, patting her one last time on the head before removing his hand, chuckling when she shot a glare in his direction with a cute pout.

He had made a dear promise that he would take care of her for the rest of his life, and that was what he would do.

Although it pained him to see her get hurt, if it would ultimately do her good, he would allow her to go through with it. For her sake.

"Seems like we're all here," Akechi's voice broke them out of their conversation. Everyone's eyes focused on the hooded man- who had shifted his attention away from the view to them. Akechi's eyes lingered on Akira for a moment, and a minuscule frown appeared on his face, as though he sensed something. Akira, however, simply looked at him as how everyone else there did- curiosity mixed with distaste.

After a few seconds, the frown disappeared, and Akechi looked away, as though he had never paid attention to him in the first place. In fact, Akira knew that it was only probably himself that had noticed Akechi's strange behavior.

As much as he hated to admit it, Akechi was also a master of hiding emotions and maintaining a facade- staying under Shido's shadow for so many years would have forced him to do so.

The atmosphere immediately turned a stiff and tense- partly due to the fact that none of them trusted Akechi, and partly due to the fact that his announcement meant that they were finally beginning their plans.

Akira could tell that while all of them were extremely determined, all of them also felt trepidation and some extent of fear as well. They had not experienced the power of shadows firsthand as of yet, but there had been a few footage of shadows circulating around the net the past few weeks- another sign of the increasing merger of the two worlds.

He could understand their fear- the very first time, when he had stumbled upon Kamoshida's palace, he had frozen the very first time he saw a shadow.

If Morgana had not been with him at that very moment, he would have more than likely fallen to the hands of those shadows.

"Before we enter the mementos, I want to explain a few things." Akechi's tone turned business-like. Everyone perked up as soon as he started to speak.

"First, when we travel, stick close to me. I know some of you may hate to admit it, but your safety entirely depends on me," Akechi stated.

Everyone frowned at this statement, but nobody refuted. It was true- all of them did not own shadows, and they were entirely dependant on Akechi to lead them to safety.

In fact, they had discussed this seriously before even approaching Akechi. When they stepped into the Cognitive World, their lives would very much lie in Akechi's hands- at least for the time being. However, for them to be able to unlock their personas in the quickest and most efficient way, they had to take the risk.

So, Makoto had asked Futaba to plant a pre-scheduled release of news to the all major television broadcasts. In the message that Futaba had planted, it stated that if the video was being shown, it meant that they had died, and that it was all Akechi's fault. It included CCTV footages of Akechi meeting them in the restaurant, as well as a recorded audio of their conversation.

Makoto had told Akechi a day after the restaurant incident, as a warning to him that should he try anything funny, he could forget about living a comfortable life.

Unexpectedly, however, the ex-detective had not even bat an eyelid when he heard of this news. Instead, according to Makoto, he had "Smiled, nodded and complimented them for being cautious and smart".

While it also caused alarm bells to sound in everyone's head, they all trusted Futaba's hacking skills- even if Akechi managed to find a skilled coder that would agree to help him kill a bunch of harmless adults, it would take several weeks for him to decode the security firewalls Futaba had built up.

"Second, when you see a shadow, stay back and draw your weapons," Akechi continued.

"Weapons?" Ryuji, as usual, ran his mouth off and rudely interrupted Akechi's explanation. Akechi, however, was not even the slightest bit irked. Instead, he nodded with a sly grin.

"The life-like guns that I told you to get and bring. Take those out- it would definitely prove useful." His answer stumped everyone, but he did not bother to even give them the time to think before he continued to the next point.

"Lastly, it is highly likely that you would not be able to unlock your personas today. There is a certain shadow I am searching for that would be able to help you unlock your personas, but it is extremely hard to find. Today would just be an introductory tour of sorts," Akechi ended, speaking as though the deadly trip into the depths of the mementos was simply a walk in a park.

Akira grudgingly admitted that it probably was for him.

"So," Akechi's cheerful voice sounded like mockery and teasing to everyone's ears,

"Let's get going."

His bright smirk carried a tint of evil, causing everyone to feel a sense of impending horror about their upcoming pilgrimage into the unknown.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the late update! Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

Akira mentally sighed as the world around him shimmered and blurred out of existence, before solidifying into a completely different scenery. Gone were the clear blue skies and the multitudes of people, gone were the sounds of hurried footsteps and hushed whispers, gone were the sounds of honking cars and screeching train rails.

What replaced them was a dark, soulless train station. Reddish-black veins of gooey substances seemed to snake their way around the floor, up the walls and pillars and even the ceiling, looking similar to how tree roots dig into the ground and spread out to gain more nutrients from the soil.

An eerie silence pervaded the area, with the occasional inhumane wail and howl echoing from deeper within the darkness ahead. Akira often wondered why he could never hear the screech of the trains that endlessly traveled across the entirety of the mementos, but he never made the effort to delve into it. It hardly mattered anyway- as long as it could bring him to where he wanted to go quickly, he would not stop it.

His hand shot to his head, and he plastered a convincing grimace and pained look onto his face, acting as though he was disoriented. He had to be on his toes- with the two smartest and most inquisitive people he had ever met in such close proximity, the last thing he should do is let his guard down.\

"Urgh," Yusuke groaned, wincing as he crawled back up to his feet, his hand similar clutching his head. The rest followed suit one by one. Akira stumbled towards Futaba, before gently picking her up- she had the weakest body, and he knew that she would take the longest to recover.

"...Thanks," Futaba said, gratitude in her voice as she shot Akira a small, slightly pained smile, her body shaking as she stood. Akira lead her to a pillar that was not infested with the Reddish-black veins and helped Futaba rest against it before plopping down beside her, resting his back against the wall as well while taking deep breaths, faking a tired expression.

Ann and Haru both collapsed on another uninfected wall, while Yusuke managed to stay on his two feet- albeit barely- and lean against a wall. Ryuji and Makoto- unsurprisingly- were the ones in the best state. Both were the fittest of the group, thus it was not surprising when he saw Ryuji and Makoto walking around after taking a minute to recover from being disoriented, eyes wide as saucers as they observed the area.

"Where is this place?" Ryuji asked, awe and discomfort apparent in his voice as he glanced around, taking in the disturbing and unfamiliar sight.

Akechi- with a damnable smirk on his face- replied in an amused voice. "This," Akechi swept across the area with his arm. "Is the mementos."

"For real?" Ryuji said in disbelief, and Akira couldn't help but smile slightly at the familiar words. Ryuji had hardly changed over the years- really, it was nice for them to be together again.

However, a strange feeling welled up within him as well, and it took him a few seconds to pinpoint exactly what was the reason.

It had been a long time since he had company during his travels down into the mementos. Once, he and Morgana had traversed the entire mementos as a tag team, ridding the weaker shadows and tempering themselves during the process.

It had been years since then, and after the incident that had blown every single part of his life apart, he had not visited the mementos as often, and not with Morgana.

After all, after that incident, their shared goal had started to differ- or rather, Akira no longer shared the same goal as Morgana.

For the last few years, he had visited the mementos alone, fought shadows alone, traveled across the metaverse alone.

Hence, the fact that he suddenly had companions- and they were his closest friends even- made the entire experience slightly...surreal.

"This is the first floor of the mementos," Akechi began to explain. "You can let your guard down here. This floor will not have any shadows. It is a safe area."

Akira could hear the collective sighs of relief from all his friends while adding in his own one as well. Akechi's mocking chuckle grated on his nerves, but Akira was too experienced to react to that kind of weak taunt.

However, Ryuji was a different case. It was a good thing that Ann was there to hold him back- as always.

"Akechi," Makoto called, her curious and sharp eyes digesting the sights. "You have mentioned the cognitive world, and about shadows and personas, but you did not really touch much on the mementos."

"You have heard of Palaces, am I right to assume?" Akechi asked, to which everyone nodded. Akechi had mentioned it before- a palace only belonged to someone who had extremely distorted desires.

"The mementos can be considered a palace that does not belong to a ruler, but to everybody."

A confused look appeared on everyone's face safe Makoto, who's face suddenly turned pensive.

"Basically, those with distorted desires- but not strong ones- will have their shadows reside in the mementos. Everybody's shadow - as long as they are not strong enough- will be placed in this place."

"So that means we could change _everybody's_ hearts from here?" Haru said in an astonished tone. Akechi shook his head.

"Not everyone. There are those that have distorted desires that are so weak, they cannot even manifest here. Everyone has a distorted desire to a certain degree, but only those that are above a certain level will manifest shadows here. If not, their hearts cannot be changed."

"So every shadow we kill her is a distorted desire of a person?" Makoto's voice was now less determined, and even a little unsure. Suddenly, the mood became very heavy as everyone suddenly thought up about it.

If they were to fight shadows here, and kill them, won't it mean killing people in the real world as well? Wouldn't that simply make themselves murderers?

"No," Akechi once again shook his head and disagreed. "The shadows from people in the real world are at another level than the normal shadows. I myself am not very sure where do the shadows that do not belong to humans come from, but I can assure you that it does not kill any humans."

"If not," Akechi's eyes glinted something that Akira could not quite put his finger on. "There would be a lot more people dead right now."

Akira could see Akechi's words inspire nervousness and even a hint of fear inside all his friends. Even if they had taken precautions against Akechi so that he would not easily act against them, there was still a chance that he would.

Annoyance erupted within Akira, and he almost could not stop himself from showing his displeasure on his face.

He knew what Akechi was doing. Akechi loved mind games, and he liked to make people fidget and squirm in discomfort. However, he also knew that Akechi would not kill them- it was hard enough for him to find people to trust him, and he, for whatever reason, needed their help as well.

A silence ensued, no one having any mood to speak. Akechi acted so much unlike a killer that it often slipped people's mind. Akechi's words were a harsh reminder that they had a killer in their midst- alone, in a dangerous area that had never been explored before by mankind with the exception of a few persona-users.

Deciding that he had enough of Akechi's game, Akira looked around to make sure that everyone had recovered. His eyes landed on Futaba, whose face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Again, he had the urge to simply carry all his friends away from the mementos, to just get them to give up. But it was their choice, and either way if he followed through with his urge, they would immediately find out about him.

That was something he hoped would never happen.

"You ready?" He whispered softly to Futaba beside him. Futaba slowly raised her head, her eyes staring into Akira's. In those eyes, he could see many emotions- fear and anxiety that made his heart clench, yet determination and bravery that made him proud.

"Yes," She replied in a shaky voice, but showed through her actions that she was determined by pushing herself up with the support of the pillar they were resting on.

She seemed to start a chain reaction, as everyone started to move once she did. Akira slowly picked himself up, taking in a deep breath and sighing.

Akechi, seeing everybody getting ready to go, gave a slightly scary grin before turning and facing the escalator which seemed to lead down into the darkness that engulfed the basement of the train station.

"From here on out, take out your weapons, and be on your guard," Akechi's tone turned serious, and started to walk towards the escalator. Just before the first step, he turned back and gave them a sininster smirk.

"The first time is always the hardest," Akechi's tone held smugness and a hint of taunting. "Try not to freeze when you see them. Trust me- it's a lot easier to die that way."

Finishing the disturbing sentence, Akechi then turned and made his way down into the darkness, his back engulfed by it in a matter of seconds.

The group all met each other's eyes, the atmosphere thick with nervousness and trepidation. Akira's eyes landed on Makoto, and he was surprised to see her face filled with anxiety, hesitation and even a little bit of guilt,

It dawned on him that it had probably been her that had coaxed the everyone else into this. He understood her well, and knew that she was now blaming herself- blaming herself for putting everyone through this, for getting everyone into this reckless plan of hers.

Akira sighed one again, and walked up to her. He hesitated for a moment, staring at her hand, before strengthening his resolve and grabbing her hand. Makoto- whose eyes had been fixed on the escalator all that time, turned sharply and stared at him, shock and surprise reflected in her eyes.

From those eyes, he could see the anxiety and guilt he knew she was feeling at that very moment.

"We all chose to do this. It is not your fault," Akira said in a comforting tone. He then gave her a reassuring smile, and tightened his grip on her hand in a comforting gesture. "Don't blame yourself."

It felt so awkward, holding her hand. Yet, the area of his palm burned comfortably, and it felt as though he could hold her hand forever. A memory of the past flitted through his mind, a past when things had been simpler, when things were much easier for the both of them.

Longing crashed into him like a tidal wave, and he barely managed to conceal it perfectly.

It had been too long ago, and those feelings would probably never resurface ever again. They had both grown up, and gone through too much. Makoto, even though she hid it well, was much more weary and burnt out now. Himself- much colder and apathetic than when he was young.

However, now that they were together again after so many years, Akira would do everything he could to help her out. Help _all_ of them out.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and finally, the corners of Makoto's lips curved slightly. and she nodded.

"Thank you," She whispered, her voice filled with gratitude, as well as a little _something_ that Akira could not identify. Akira felt a rare warmth within his cold heart, and he nodded.

"Let's go," He spoke loudly, releasing her hand as he looked at the rest, before signalling them to follow him as he walked towards the escalator which had not changed for years, and then without a single shred of fear, into the familiar darkness that engulfed the world below.


	10. Chapter 10

**Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

"What the fuck is this place?" Ryuji's hushed voice sounded like thunder in a quiet space, causing everyone to shoot glares at him and signalling for him to quiet down. Nevertheless, Akira could see that his words reflected exactly what the rest of his friends were wondering in their minds.

He couldn't blame them- in fact, he understood exactly how they felt. Many years had passed since the first time he entered the Mementos, yet the memory of his first time was still fresh.

After all, the Mementos was a place that had been ruled by Yaldaboath. There was a natural oppressiveness that permeated the air, and the atmosphere always felt heavy and dark. The occasional wails and cries of pain and suffering from the shadows that within the Mementos did nothing to help.

For a person that visits the Mementos for the first time, they would find it extremely disturbing and unpleasant- moreso without a persona.

He could already see the slight shivering and quivering of his friends' bodies, see the fear and fright that they were battling against, see the struggle between determination and irresolution.

"Feeling like giving up already?" Akechi's voice was full of scorn as he waited for them a few meters ahead from where they were standing. Akira felt a twinge of annoyance surface within him, but immediately forced it down, and instead tried to look as though he was gathering whatever ounce of courage he had left within him to take the next step forward.

A silence ensued after Akechi's words rebounded off the walls and echoed throughout the entire area. Akira could see Ryuji's fist clenched tightly into a fist, could see Haru clasping her hands tightly together in front of her, could see Futaba fidgeting - shifting her weight from left to right-, could see Yusuke gritting his teeth as he tried to control his body.

Uncertainty started to snake its way into his heart as he looked at them suffering. His heart reached out to them, and he _so-wanted_ to just pack them up and bring them away from this entire fiasco- from this crazy idea, from this dangerous place, from these dangerous times. Far away from all this Cognitive bullshit, far away from the fighting.

Yet, he knew that he couldn't, and also that he _wouldn't._ He could not as that would be exposing his identity- and he would not because he would never force his decisions upon his friends.

Shido had slowly whittled down all the free will that the population of Japan had little by little. There had been pathetically few that still had the ability to make their own decisions, to control their own will. Granted, it was getting better with Shido now gone- but there were still many who had not recovered from his tyranny.

Which lead to why he had even allowed his friends to follow through with this crazy plan- he knew it was entirely possible for his friends to unlock their personas.

Even during Shido's Tyranny, they had not given in to the desire to be ruled over, had not allowed themselves to sink with rest of Japan into a state of indecisiveness and simply allowing someone else to dictate how they lived their lives.

If they had submitted to his rule- if they had become mindless humans that simply listened to whatever the media told them and lived soulless and without aim- he would have not let them take a single step into this direction. They would more than likely die before they got anything accomplished at all.

However, it would still be extremely difficult for them to unlock their personas- they would have to go through harrowing experiences to actually be able to unlock them. He sighed inwardly as he thought of what was to come for them- if Akechi managed to follow through with his plan- and how much they were going to suffer. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried for them.

When Akechi had told them he was searching for a specific shadow to help them unlock their personas, Akira's mind had immediately deduced what Akechi had planned to do as a 'shortcut' for his friends.

While he hated to admit it, Akechi's idea was indeed possible, and also- as far as any of the methods he could think up of- the fastest way to unlock their personas.

It was also the most dangerous method.

He did not really approve of this method, but he had to give it to Akechi- it was a resourceful and smart idea. If it worked out, every member of the group would have their Personas much sooner rather than later.

But if it failed...

A flicker of determination- unnoticed by everyone- passed through Akira's eyes as he thought about it. As long as he was around, he would make sure no harm comes to them. He pushed away the uncertainty that had been swirling within him and decided to trust in his friends' strength.

Akira shook his head and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. There was no point worrying right now- it was only their first visit, and the shadow that Akechi was looking for- the one that Akira _guessed_ he's looking for- would not appear until they go deeper into the mementos. What he should be focusing at hand now is how to get the others accustomed to the Cognitive World, accustomed to the appearances and power of the shadows.

He brought his attention back to the present, his eyes swiftly roaming the area as he studied his friends. He could see Akechi doing the same as well, and a slight astonishment arose in him when he caught a hint of restlessness within those eyes of his- almost as though Akechi was _hoping_ they would get through this hurdle.

It seemed that Akechi needed them more than he had let on- a lot more than he had let on, in fact. If Akechi of all people could not hide his emotions, it meant that he felt very strongly about whatever issue he was handling at that point of time.

Akira's lips quirked up ever so slightly, and the worry in his heart decreased by a significant amount- so much so that he himself felt surprised. He hadn't realised how worried and wary he had been of Akechi until that very moment.

It soothed his heart to know that Akechi needed them _that much_. It meant that the agreement they had made was not as one-sided as he thought it was, and that- while seemingly a small issue- meant a great deal of difference to the entire situation at hand.

The more important Akechi treated this agreement, the safer they were. If before, they had expected him to merely be a guide, providing minimal assistance, now Akira knew that Akechi would more likely than not provide as much assistance as he possibly could.

Praise erupted within him when he saw that Makoto had noticed it too. he almost could not keep the smirk from his face when he saw Akechi noticing as well, and quickly clearing whatever trace of emotion he had from his face. It was too late though, and Makoto had already found the weak point. Akira could only imagine how frustrated Akechi was at himself at that very moment.

"No," Makoto finally replied, her courage seemingly increasing when she had the revelation."We've come too far to back down now."

Her voice was steady and firm, full of confidence- though Akira knew that was not what she was really feeling on the inside. However, the confidence was contagious, and he saw the rest of his friends begin to recover from their initial shock and hesitance. Slowly, their bodies stopped quivering, and they all looked at Akechi with challenging gazes- as though they were daring him to say something more.

Akechi, however, merely smirked and turned around, walking with complete ease along the train tracks that snaked its way across all the paths in the Mementos, as though he was not inside the abode of a powerful god with all his underlings.

Akira understood, though. For one reason or another, Personas were really much stronger than their shadow counterparts. Furthermore, Akechi already had years of experience and training fighting and defeating countless shadows in the Metaverse- the shadows on the first path, the Path of Qimranut, would hardly pose a problem to him.

He and his friends shared a quick glance, nodding in silent agreement before huddling close together and following behind Akechi, making sure the distance between them was not too far that they would lose him, but not so near that if he gets attacked out of nowhere, they would be caught in the frontline. All gripping their respective guns tightly, they cautiously trudged forward, eyes warily and alertly scanning the area- especially the darkness where the train tracks lead to.

Akira could tell that most of them felt stupid and foolish- holding a toy gun in to defend against shadows- but they had decided to follow whatever Akechi instructed, no matter how ridiculous the instruction was- it meant higher likelihood for them to survive this ordeal, after all.

Suddenly, Akechi stopped in his tracks and raised a hand, signalling for them to keep still. Almost at once, everyone halted their movements- not even a breath could be heard as they all held their breaths. Their eyes were solely focused in the direction Akechi was looking, trying to spot the shadow in the darkness that engulfed the area.

Finally, a dark silhouette appeared in the dim lights offered by the flickering lamps stuck to the walls. Slowly, the figure stepped forward, more and more of its body being revealed until finally, its entire body could barely be seen.

White mask with glowing blue eyes, oval-shaped body made up of skulls and the gooey substances stuck to the walls- a typical example of a shadow whose mask has not been torn off yet.

Akira could almost feel the trepidation arousing within the group, and almost could not help but laugh.

He cared for their safety- he truly did. But the enemy that was in front of Akechi was really one of the _weakest_ enemies he could ever face. Even a normal person holding a weapon could dispatch of this shadow without so much as breaking a sweat.

All things considered, this shadow was probably the best shadow for their first encounter.

"You guys are really lucky," Akechi's voice came from in front, his tone even containing a hint of envy. "You got the easiest shadow in the entire world as your first opponent."

Slowly, Akechi walked towards the now-howling shadow, and with a speed that was way too fast for the naked eye, he appeared behind the shadow and jumped on top of it before grabbing the edge of the white mask and forcefully pulling it off from its face.

A ear-piercing shriek came from the shadow as it's body melted into the ground into a thick, gooey pile of black and red mess, before alleviating into the air and forming into a being that could have only been seen from fairy tale books and illustrations.

Petite, short and astoundingly tiny, with pointed ears, red eyes, a cute oval face with the addition of a two pairs of wings that looked like they belonged to fairies, the shadow really didn't look very intimidating.

"You guys can fight this one," Akechi said as he disappeared right before their eyes. Then, his voice came from behind, causing them to turn their heads sharply, their faces all evidently carrying shock as they tried to wrap their heads around the speed he had just displayed.

"It's one of the weakest shadows, and also one of the less grotesque ones. Make no mistake, however, it still slightly transcends the limits of a human being- just by a bit though, and it's strength is not enough to kill you."

"Wait-" Haru tried to interrupt him, her voice shaky and full of uncertainty and fright. Instead got interrupted by a high-pitched scream from their front. Their heads snapped back to the front, and their minds went completely blank as they saw an enraged Pixie already _flying_ towards them at full speed- red eyes glowing in anger of being surprised by Akechi.

"Good Luck," Akechi's voice held a smugness that caused a tick to form at Akira's forehead.

Their first encounter had begun.


	11. Chapter 11

**Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

"Move!" Akira shouted loudly, injecting as much panic as he could into his voice as he grabbed Futaba's wrist and dived to the side. His eyes were alert and sharp as he scanned the area, and felt a small bit of relief when he saw that his shout had managed to break all of his friends out of their frozen state.

"How the fuck are we supposed to fight this?" Ryuji cursed loudly, directing it to a particular person standing a safe distance away from them. Said person gave an insufferable smirk, his hand reaching for something behind his back before pulling out a pistol.

"Using these, of course," Akechi twirled the pistol around his finger, looking completely relaxed and irritatingly smug.

"What are those toy guns supposed to do?" Ann shouted with a panicked voice as she dived to her right, the pixie _just_ missing her by an inch as it flew past at the a high speed. One thing was sure- it would not feel good if they met it head on.

Akira's body was completely strung up and tensed, his alertness heightened to the maximum as his eyes seemed to move all around the place. It was not the pixie he was afraid of- even if the pixie rammed into him at the speed of sound, he would not let out so much as a grunt of pain.

It was his friends that he was afraid for. They still did not know a single clue about how things really worked in the Metaverse- and Akechi had just thrown them into a fight without even a short briefing about how to fight back.

Akira really wanted to gut the accursed man with his dagger at the very moment, but refrained from doing so as what Akechi had done had not crossed his limits yet. Both he and Akechi knew that the Pixie was probably the least dangerous shadow in the entire Metaverse, and even normal humans would be able to avoid the Pixie if they were careful.

Still, they had limits to their stamina, and while the Pixie was not really that strong- and Akechi probably had a few recovery items in hand just in case-, Akira did not want any of his friends to get severely injured.

Hence, he pulled his Tkachev, pretending to stare hard at it with as he tried to make his face seem as uncertain as possible.

The gun felt weird in his hands- it had been many years since he had used this particular weapon. It had been the first gun he had used when he had become a Persona user, and it had brought him through many tough situations and battles.

He had stopped using it after he grew stronger, but still kept it deep within his chest of old belongings back at the shop as a keepsake. He never thought that he would use it again.

"Are you seriously believing him?" Futaba asked in a shaky voice, fear and panic evident in her voice as her eyes darted back and forth between the charging pixie- who was currently chasing a cursing Ryuji- and the Tkachev in his hand.

Akira gritted his teeth, seemingly hesitating for a second before raising the weapon and taking aim at the rampant Pixie. "No harm trying," Akira said in an unsure voice, before pulling the trigger.

A deafeningly loud burst of gunfire attacked everyone's eardrums, and echoed down the dark tunnels of the Mementos, followed by a high-pitched, shrill scream of pain. Everyone that had been panicking and running about like headless chickens immediately stilled, their eyes wide and their jaws hanging as they stared at the writhing shadow.

Akira made sure to fix his eyes upon the barrel of his weapon, staring in what seemed like shock at the smoke lazily floating out of the muzzle. On the inside, however, he was silently impressed at his own acting skills.

His persona was Arsene, so it made sense that he would extremely proficient at fooling others and holding a facade. However, it truly was difficult to act surprised at something that seemed so common and mundane to him.

"What...just happened?" Haru's voice was filled with as much disbelief as her face showed. Everyone's eyes locked onto the smoking muzzle of his weapon, then shifted to the writhing and screaming pixie thrashing around on the floor, a pool of blackish-red gooey substance forming beneath it as it bled through a hole at its right shoulder.

"This thing...actually works?" Yusuke spoke more to himself than anyone else, his voice sounding extremely perplexed as he inspected his weapon- an assault rifle made to replicate the "Black Assault".

Three seconds later, he hummed to himself in wonder before taking aim at the writhing Pixie- whom was beginning to recover- and casually pulling the trigger. A split second later, a thunderous bout of screams and gunfire resounded through the area, followed by even more shouts and screams as Yusuke lost control of his weapon.

"Watch where you're pointing the gun!" Makoto shouted at Yusuke in a frantic and enraged voice, while Haru- whom had let out a scream of shock and terror when the bullets _just_ went over her head- glared daggers at said man. Ryuji and Ann were thankfully out of his arc of fire, while Akira and Futaba were behind Yusuke, thus not affected by his spraying.

To be fair, the one who had went through the worst ordeal was the screaming being currently in the middle of all of them. The pixie- who had just begun to recover from the injuries it sustained from Akira's Tchakev- was now screaming and squirming on the ground again, it's body riddled with even more holes as before.

It was a slightly disturbing sight, and Akira understood why all his friends looked extremely uncomfortable. Even if it was a mere shadow, and the substance that it was bleeding did not look anything like blood, the screams were real, as was the disfiguration of the Pixie.

Thankfully, whatever skin or flesh that flies out dissolves into black and red mist and eventually dissipates into nothingness, and the shadows seemed to have no innards, just a black _nothingness_ within them, thus saving them from having to witness anything gruesome or gory.

"S-sorry," Yusuke stuttered, guilt evident in his voice as he took a step back, hands up in a 'surrender' posture. Everyone eyed him carefully for a second longer, making sure that he was not going to go trigger-happy again before taking out their own weapons, staring at them curiously, succeeding in momentarily ignoring the cries and throes of pain and rage of the Pixie.

"As you have seen," Akechi's voice traveled across the air, using a tone that lecturers usually used in their classes. "While those guns that you are currently holding in your hands were simply toys in the real world, in the Cognitive World, it becomes into real, functioning weapons."

"The reason is simple," Akechi continued explaining, not giving anybody a chance to interrupt his explanation. "The shadow's cognition of your weapons are that they are real, and they are dangerous. Hence, even if, to you, they are mere toy guns, to the shadows, they are real guns. Hence, you can use the guns on them in this World."

Makoto's eyes brightened, and a look of understanding dawned upon her face, and Akira's sharp eyes could catch a glint of excitement from her eyes as she lifted her hand and aimed it right at the Pixie.

Akira was even more impressed when he saw Haru do the same a few seconds later- and he could see the slightest upturn of her lips, but it disappeared soon after, and a look of uncertainty and hesitation replaced the sadistic look she had been wearing before.

Akira's body shook a little, and his brain suddenly went to overdrive as he scrutinized Haru carefully. However, he could no longer spot the quirk of her lips, nor the spark of aggressiveness that had lit her eyes up for a split second. A frown settled upon her face, and he started to ponder upon what he had just seen.

It was not the most opportune time to look into those matters, however, and he decided to shift the issue to the back of his mind for the time being. Eliminating the Pixie was the more prevalent issue.

"Cool!" Ryuji's exclaimed in a child-like manner, before aiming his Granneli M3 at the Pixie with an excited grin- and Akira would have been worried if Ryuji would turn into a serial killer if he had not known Ryuji for the past eight years.

"Let's burst him down together," Ann said, aiming her weapon as well, underlying excitement and anticipation in her voice. Akira had a strange feeling that perhaps- _just perhaps-_ his friends were enjoying killing the shadow a bit too much.

He looked down at Futaba, and saw her twiddling her thumbs, looking down at the floor and only the top of her head visible to her.

"What's wrong?" Akira asked, a frown of worry on his face, kneeling down to take a look at Futaba's face. He was surprised when he saw a slight hint of embarrassment on her face.

"I...didn't get a weapon. I thought it was completely redundant, so..." Futaba's voice was full of shame and guilt. Akira's worried feelings leaked away, and he let out a chuckle and patted her head lightly, causing her to glare at him.

"Don't worry about it. I don't really want you to fire a gun anyway," And what he said was true- he doubted Futaba had the strength to fight shadows, Persona or not. She had always been extremely thin, and he knew that she as definitely _not_ fit enough to fight shadows.

He had guessed that her persona would be more of a support type than a fighter type- though he would have to wait for her persona to reveal itself to affirm his hypothesis.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Futaba retorted with an annoyed pout, to which he smiled gently and shook his head, withholding himself from answering her. He knew that if he spoke his true thoughts out, Futaba would deny it to the ends of the earth, and would also feel useless as she would think herself not helping her friends fight at all.

To a certain extent, it was true- until she unlocked her persona. But, he did not want to bring her down, so he simply chose not to say it.

"We'll talk later," Akira said in a soothing tone. "Let's finish this shadow first."

With that, he stood up straight and lined his Tkachev towards the Pixie, who was just about to get up again. He briefly wondered why this particular Pixie had been so weak. Yes, the PIxie was possibly the weakest shadow in known existence, but it still should not be so weak as to be unable to fight back after being on the receiving end of a mere few bullets.

However, after a split second analysis of the Pixie in front of him, he understood- Akechi had already cast a debuff on the shadow when he had tore off its mask. All of it's attributes were lowered by a considerable margin- to the point where it would be completely possible for normal human beings to eliminate it with simple weapons.

Akira frowned slightly when he realized he had let that small action slip his notice, and made a mental note to pay more attention to the surroundings. His mind had been too fixated on keeping his friends safe- so much so that he had missed out tiny details around him that could potentially change the entire situation in a blink of an eye.

It was fortunate that it had been Akechi's actions that reminded him of it, and no something worse.

He looked away from the Pixie and glanced at his friends, noticing that their eyes were also darting around, meeting each other. He could feel their anticipation, but also their hesitation to pull the trigger. As his eyes shifted to Makoto, a slight surprise arose in him when he saw her eyes staring at his.

A short moment passed- and the two of them understood what the other was trying to convey without any words needed. Akira simply nodded, and gave a small, encouraging smile. Makoto returned the favor with a grateful one, before hardening her face hardened and she shifted her gaze back to the shadow.

Taking a deep breath- Akira could see her arms shivering almost imperceptibly-, Makoto took aim.

"Fire."

Ear-splitting sounds of gunfire rang through the air, followed by a still silence as the screams of pain abruptly halted.

They had killed their first shadow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys, sorry for the delayed update! I've been feeling lesser motivation these few days, but I'll try to keep on writing.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Kuntakintae**

* * *

"Good job," Akechi said as he walked towards them- all of whom had sunk down to their knees, breathing heavily with cold sweat running down their backs as the adrenaline that had fueled them before slowly drained away.

"Holy fuck," Ann gasped out as she clutched at her chest, her body trembling and strands of her hair were stuck to her face due to the seemingly torrential sweat that was pouring down from her forehead.

Akira took a quick look around, and realised that almost everyone else were having the same reaction. Yusuke and Makoto were understandably doing slightly better, while Ryuji simply looked like he was going to faint- which was also pretty understandable considering that he had been the main target for the Pixie during the entire fight.

As Akira's mind wandered back to that scene, he had to hold back a smile. Now that the danger was over and everyone was unharmed, Akira allowed himself to feel some amusement at past scene.

"You okay?" Akira asked as he bent down and placed hand on Futaba's shivering back, rubbing soothing circles as he tried to make his voice as comforting and reassuring as possible. He sighed mentally, and once again questioned himself as to why he had let Futaba in on this. She had always been the weakest in the group- both in terms of constitution as well as mental fortitude.

However, when Futaba finally raised her head from the cradle she had formed as she hugged her knees together, he was surprised at what met his eyes. Instead of a sobbing Futaba- which was what he had been half-expecting-, he saw a slightly pale but tear-free face, with eyes full of determination and resolve.

"I will bring a gun next time," Futaba's voice was soft, and filled with endless regret and a tinge of guilt. Akira almost gave in to the urge to tell her that no, she did not need to bring a gun. However, he held back the urge, and sealed his lips- this was something he knew he would not be able to dissuade Futaba from.

Also, it was a fact that before she got her shadow, the only way she could be useful was to use guns. He promised to himself, however, that once she got her persona- and if it was the type of persona he was expecting- he would do his utmost to convince her to keep away from the front line.

"Alright, but stay back for this run, okay?" Akira said sternly, to which Futaba pouted.

"Fine, fine," Futaba said while rolling her eyes. A small grin replaced the stern look on his face as he patted the top of her head, eliciting a short bout of protests, which he chuckled off easily.

It was only a good ten minutes later that everyone could stand on their two feet without their knees shaking uncontrollably. Each and every one of them still looked like a mess, however- with clothes drenched in sweat, hair stuck to their faces and bodies matted with dirt and a few cuts here and there.

"What shadow was that just now?" Makoto asked, resting her weight against one of the walls that were not contaminated by the disgusting sludge that almost entirely covered the area. Her face was pale, but her eyes held a hint of fire at the moment. Akira felt as though there was a dormant volcano within them- just waiting for the right time to erupt.

It heartened him to see that fire again in her eyes. Before, when he had just met her a few weeks ago, her eyes had looked dim. Yes, there still had been a will to fight, and the perseverance and stubbornness that he knew very well had not left her, but years of suffering and torment under Shido's rule had done a number on her confidence.

The fact that she had been helpless whilst knowing that Shido was the tumor that had needed to be eradicated- it must have dealt a huge blow.

It was good to see that she was regaining her confidence again.

"That," Akechi replied with a small smirk as he walked towards the pool of sludge which had replaced the shadow from before. "Was a Pixie."

"Pixie..." Haru muttered the name of the shadow.

"How strong is it in comparison to the other shadows?" Ryuji asked, his voice filled with curiosity, expectation, a little bit of residual fear and even a little bit of pride. Akira almost rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips quirked upward a little.

Figures that it would be Ryuji that would find a life-and-death battle exciting, and even carry away a little pride about it.

Akechi seemed to have caught the hint of pride as well, because he immediately let out a mocking chuckle, before eyeing Ryuji in amusement.

"The Pixie is considered to be the _weakest_ of all shadows in the Cognitive World," Akechi said, and everyone could hear the ridicule in his voice. "It's strength is so weak that it is not even as strong as an average adult. The only advantage it has over other shadows is that it can fly at high speeds."

"Of course," Akechi continued with a sharp glint in his eyes. "A Pixie can still easily murder any human being. You were just fortunate that the Pixie had not hit any of you directly. The Pixie's body, while not having much strength, is as durable as a rock. If it hits you at high speeds directly, you'd pretty much be smashed to death."

A still silence immediately ensued, and the atmosphere turned a notch colder. From the expressions of his friends, Akira could tell that the statement had immediately made everyone feel as though someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water onto their heads.

Akira understood as well. The shadows that were considered the weakest of their kind could easily kill an average human being. That was equivalent to saying that if a hundred of these Pixies ever invaded a small town, it could completely kill off every single human being.

Akechi seemed to revel the uncomfortable silence- similar to a sadistic instructor that had just revealed the toughness and deadliness of an upcoming training to his new trainees.

Akira felt mildly annoyed, but held himself back from taking any action against him. He could tell that while Akechi was still very much twisted and enjoying his friends' unease a little _too_ much, he was someone who would finish what he set his mind to do.

Akira knew that he had a goal that required the help of him and his friends, so whilst he really wanted to punch Akechi in the face, he trusted that Akechi would still do his best to help his friends unlock his personas.

"The situation is not as bad as you imagine, however, " Akechi suddenly spoke up, his voice slicing through the tangible heaviness that had permeated the air following his revelation of the shadows' strength. Everyone immediately perked up at his words, and focused all their attention on him,

"While it is true that even the weakest shadow is able to murder any human being, it is not as though humans are entirely defenseless. After all, human bodies truly are very weak, and that is where technology comes in." At his words, Akira could see a spark of fire within his friends' eyes, a fire of hope.

"But," Akech's next word doused that flame. "Technology can only go so far. Even a nuclear weapon would be ineffective against the upper hierarchy of the shadows."

"Then doesn't this mean that humans are doomed to fall?" Ann said in a slightly higher-pitched voice, a slight panic and fear evident in it. Akechi shook his head and shot a smirk at her.

"No. When I talked about technology, I was only covering about how average humans could defeat average shadows," Akechi explained. "How we deal with the higher level of shadows, however..."

"With Personas," Makoto's voice cut in, sounding more like a statement instead of a question. Since it was Makoto, Akira guessed that Makoto had more than likely already deduced where Akechi was heading. Akechi looked unsurprised- as though he had expected Makoto to be able to get it as well, which he probably did.

"Yes, Personas," Akechi nodded while giving her a rare, appreciative glance -which ignited a spark of annoyance within Akira for some strange reason- before continuing on with his explanation.

"Do not underestimate how powerful a Persona can be," Akechi's voice turned serious. "Even the weakest Personas can easily destroy a thousand of the pixie you had just defeated."

"No way," Ryuji breathed, his eyes wide open with astonishment in his eyes.

"Doesn't that mean that if you are able to manifest your persona in the real world..." Haru's voice trembled a little as it died away, her face paling as she continued along in her train of thoughts.

"You'd be able to take over the world," Futaba finished Haru's sentence, involuntarily taking a step back from Akechi, her eyes staring at him in disbelief and fear.

Akira could literally feel the air turn tense as all his friends started to become extremely fearful and wary of Akechi. All except one.

"Relax," Makoto's calm voice pierced through the fog of fear that had clouded the others' minds. "If Akechi wanted to take over the world, he would already be doing it right now." Makoto stared straight at Akechi, who steadily stared back unflinchingly with a small smile.

"You are already able to manifest your persona in the real world, am I right?" Makoto asked. Akechi let out a short chuckle, before nodding while crossing his arms.

"Impressive." Akechi simply replied. Everyone except Makoto's breath hitched. Akira could tell that even though Makoto had already told them Akechi meant no harm, the rest were still extremely wary and distrusting of Akechi.

The weak always feared the strong, no matter how good or righteous or innocent the strong were. Of course, Akechi was not a good example, but the fact that his friends were like that

Akira felt a stab of pain deep in his heart, and a shadow of insecurity and doubt loomed over his mind.

Then, he frowned, and forcibly quashed them into nothingness.

It was not the time to dwell on his personal issues. Not when his friends were all still in the danger of the mementos.

"Or maybe," Makoto's voice seemed to have an edge, and Akira recognized what Makoto was doing. More often than not, she started acting this way when she was testing out waters, hunting for whatever extra information available. "Maybe you _can't."_

It was at this moment that something flashed in in Akechi's eyes. It was so fast, and so minuscule that perhaps not even Makoto noticed it.

However, Akira did, and straight away, it answered many of the unknowns that he had been pondering about.

Before his train of thoughts could continue, however, alarms started to blare within his mind while his senses screamed at him that a powerful foe was nearby.

He immediately knew exactly which shadow it was, and cold sweat started to run down his back. He cursed their bad luck. They were on the _first_ path, closest to the surface. Why, of all the days, had _that_ shadow decide to patrol here.

Akechi evidently sensed it as well, as his usually calm and smug face immediately transformed into a dark and troubled one. Both he and Akira stared into the shadows, affirming their suspicions as their extraordinarily sharp eyes caught sight of the ghost-like figure, speeding towards them at the speed of sound with it's deadly signature scythe glinting terrifyingly in the dark lighting.

"We have to go," Akechi's voice- for the very first time- sounded strained and worried. Akira silently seconded his statement.

"Why?" Ryuuji asked, confusion temporarily replacing his initial fear of Akechi when he noticed Akechi's stressed condition.

"Not right now. Just run back to where we came from," Akechi hissed, before turning towards the direction that the shadow was coming from, getting into battle stance.

"He-" Ryuuji stepped forward to ask again, before his arm was grabbed by Ann. Looking back, he saw a similarly confused face, but Ann shook her head.

"We should listen," Ann said, and then bit her lip for a moment before speaking again. "He seems really serious this time. I don't know what's coming, but I don't want to stay here to find out.

"Quickly go before you guys get murdered," Akechi's voice was a notch louder now, and held real impatience and anxiety. It shocked all of them out of their lull state as it finally registered that something dangerous enough for the most powerful persona user they know to feel nervous and anxious was coming straight at them.

"Let's go!" Akira shouted, before grabbing Futaba and carrying her on his back in a piggyback position and sprinting towards the exit. However, his heart sunk the moment he ran about twenty meters ahead, and he cursed loudly as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh no," Futaba's shaky whisper was saturated with despair, while a curse could be heard from Ryuji a few steps behind them. He looked back and his heart sunk when he saw the condition of his friends.

Haru had sunken down on her knees, her entire body quivering in fear as she stared at the sight before them. The others weren't much better- even Makoto's eyes were dull as she saw what lay ahead.

Akira then turned back, staring at tens of shadows that stood in between them and the escalators leading to the exit.

This time, not many of them were mere Pixies.

"...Fuck."


End file.
